Japanese symbol for “corrode”

In Japanese, corrode is 腐る, read くさる (kusaru).

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, vi to rot; to go bad; to decay; to spoil; to fester; to decompose
2. v5r, vi to corrode; to weather; to crumble
3. v5r, vi to become useless; to blunt; to weaken (from lack of practice)
4. v5r, vi to become depraved; to be degenerate; to be morally bankrupt; to be corrupt
5. v5r, vi to be depressed; to be dispirited; to feel discouraged; to feel down
6. aux-v, v5r to have the audacity to; to be bastard enough to

Kanji and stroke order

↻ Replay stroke order

Other Japanese words for “corrode”

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

See also: Chinese symbol for “corrode”.

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.