King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “delete”

Romaji: kesu
to erase; to rub out; to rub off; to cross out

In Japanese, delete is , read (kesu).

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. v5s, vt to erase; to rub out; to rub off; to cross out; to delete
  2. v5s, vt to turn off (a light, TV, heater, etc.); to switch off
  3. v5s, vt to extinguish (a fire, candle, etc.); to put out
  4. v5s, vt to remove (a smell, pain, etc.); to eliminate; to get rid of; to relieve (pain, anxiety, etc.); to neutralize (poison)
  5. v5s, vt to drown out (a sound); to deaden; to absorb; to muffle
  6. v5s, vt to kill; to murder; to bump off; to rub out

Kanji and stroke order

extinguish, blow out, turn off
on: ショウ
kun: き.える、け.す
10 strokes · JLPT 2

Other Japanese words for “delete”

WordReadingMeaning
けずる kezuruto delete; to erase; to remove
デリート deriitodelete
トル torudelete
あぼーん aboonto delete; to break; to disappear

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
しょうひ shouhiconsumption; expenditure; spending
かいしょう kaishoucancellation; liquidation; resolution
しょうめつ shoumetsuextinction; extinguishment; disappearance
しょうぼう shouboufire fighting
しょうか shoukadigestion (of food)
とりけし torikeshicancellation; withdrawal; abolition

See also: Chinese symbol for “delete”.

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.

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