Japanese symbol for “commotion”
波乱
はらん
Romaji: haran
disturbance; trouble; commotion; uproar
In Japanese, commotion is 波乱, read はらん (haran).
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
- n disturbance; trouble; commotion; uproar; turmoil
- n ups and downs (e.g. in life); vicissitudes
- n small and large waves
Written forms: 波乱、波瀾. Readings: はらん.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “commotion”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 動揺 | どうよう douyou | disturbance; unrest; agitation |
| 撹乱 | かくらん kakuran | disturbance; confusion; perturbation |
| 旋風 | せんぷう senpuu | sensation; commotion; hullabaloo |
| てんやわんや | てんやわんや ten'yawan'ya | confusion; disturbance; commotion |
| 響めき | どよめき doyomeki | commotion; stir |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 電波 | でんぱ denpa | radio wave; reception; signal |
| 津波 | つなみ tsunami | tsunami; tidal wave |
| 難波 | なにわ naniwa | Naniwa (former name for Osaka region) |
| 波長 | はちょう hachou | wavelength |
| 周波数 | しゅうはすう shuuhasuu | frequency (esp. of waveforms) |
| 混乱 | こんらん konran | disorder; chaos; confusion |
| 反乱 | はんらん hanran | insurrection; mutiny; rebellion |
| 乱用 | らんよう ran'you | abuse; misuse; misappropriation |
See also: Chinese symbol for “commotion”.
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.