King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “darn”

Romaji: tsukurou
to mend; to patch up; to repair; to fix

In Japanese, darn is , read (tsukurou).

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. v5u, vt to mend; to patch up; to repair; to fix; to darn
  2. v5u, vt to fix (hair, clothes, appearance, etc.); to adjust; to tidy up; to groom
  3. v5u, vt to keep up appearances; to cover up (e.g. a mistake); to gloss over
  4. v5u, vt to treat (illness, injury, etc.)

Kanji and stroke order

darning, repair, mend
on: ゼン
kun: つくろ.う
18 strokes · JLPT 1

Other Japanese words for “darn”

WordReadingMeaning
チェッ chetsk; tut; shoot
しまった shimattadarn it!; darn!; oops!
かがる kagaruto stitch; to hem; to mend
しもうた shimoutadarn it!; darn!; oops!
しもた shimotadarn it!; darn!; oops!

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
しゅうぜん shuuzenrepair; mending
えいぜん eizenmaintenance and repair; upkeep (of equipment)
とりつくろう toritsukurouto keep up (appearances); to put up (a good front)
つくろい tsukuroimending; repair; darning
みつくろう mitsukurouto choose (something) at one's discretion; to use one's discretion in choosing

See also: Chinese symbol for “darn”.

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.

Last posts

  1. Shinai Maintenance and Essential Tools for Bamboo Care
  2. Best Shinai for Kendo Beginners Choosing Your First Sword
  3. Choosing the Best Bokken for Kendo Kata
  4. Using a Tsuba on Your Bokken for Partner Practice
  5. How Much Should You Spend on a Wooden Practice Sword
  6. How Long Should a Bokken Be for Your Height
  7. Red Oak vs White Oak for Bokken Which Wood Wins
  8. Best Bokken for Beginners: Choosing Your First Training Sword
  9. Best Escrima Sticks for Students Choosing Your First Pair
  10. Essential Accessories for Your First Pair of Escrima Sticks