Japanese symbol for “decay”
退廃
たいはい
Romaji: taihai
(moral) decay; (social) decline; decadence; corruption
In Japanese, decay is 退廃, read たいはい (taihai).
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, vi, vs (moral) decay; (social) decline; decadence; corruption; degeneration; deterioration
- n, vi, vs decline (in prosperity)
Written forms: 退廃、頽廃. Readings: たいはい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “decay”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 崩壊 | ほうかい houkai | (radioactive) decay; disintegration |
| 衰退 | すいたい suitai | decline; degeneration; decay |
| 腐食 | ふしょく fushoku | rot; decay; erosion |
| 腐る | くさる kusaru | to rot; to go bad; to decay |
| 荒廃 | こうはい kouhai | ruin; destruction; devastation |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 引退 | いんたい intai | retirement |
| 退職 | たいしょく taishoku | retirement; resignation |
| 脱退 | だったい dattai | withdrawal (e.g. from an organization); secession; leaving |
| 撤退 | てったい tettai | evacuation; withdrawal; revocation |
| 退院 | たいいん taiin | leaving hospital; discharge from hospital |
| 辞退 | じたい jitai | declining; refusal; nonacceptance |
| 廃止 | はいし haishi | abolition; discontinuance; discontinuation |
| 廃棄 | はいき haiki | disposal; abandonment; scrapping |
See also: Chinese symbol for “decay”.
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.