King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “chafe”

Romaji: suru
to rub; to chafe; to strike (match); to file

In Japanese, chafe is , read (suru).

Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.

Meanings

  1. v5r, vt to rub; to chafe; to strike (match); to file; to frost (glass)
  2. v5r, vt to squander (one's money); to run through (one's fortune); to lose money (e.g. by gambling)

Written forms: . Readings: .

Kanji and stroke order

grate, rub, scratch
on: サツ
kun: す.る、す.れる、-ず.れ、こす.る
17 strokes · JLPT 1

Other Japanese words for “chafe”

WordReadingMeaning
すれる sureruto rub; to chafe
すれあう sureauto rub against; to chafe
じれる jireruto get impatient; to become irritated; to fret
きもをいる kimooiruto get irritated; to get annoyed; to chafe
さっしょう sasshouabrasion; chafe; graze

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
まさつ masatsufriction
すりきず surikizuscratch; graze; scrape
こすり kosurirubbing; scrubbing; scraping
すれ surechafing; sore; scrape

See also: Chinese symbol for “chafe”.

Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.