Japanese symbol for “contaminate”
汚す
よごす
Romaji: yogosu
to pollute; to contaminate; to soil; to make dirty
In Japanese, contaminate is 汚す, read よごす (yogosu).
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
- v5s, vt to pollute; to contaminate; to soil; to make dirty; to stain
- v5s, vt to disgrace; to dishonour; to dishonor; to defile
Written forms: 汚す、穢す. Readings: よごす、けがす.
Kanji and stroke order
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 汚染 | おせん osen | pollution; contamination |
| 汚れ | よごれ yogore | dirt; filth; stain |
| 汚職 | おしょく oshoku | corruption (esp. by a government employee); bribery; graft |
| 汚い | きたない kitanai | dirty; filthy; foul |
| 汚れる | よごれる yogoreru | to get dirty; to become dirty |
| 汚物 | おぶつ obutsu | filth (esp. excrement, feces, urine); muck; waste |
See also: Chinese symbol for “contaminate”.
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.