Japanese symbol for “demise”
終焉
しゅうえん
Romaji: shuuen
end (of life); death; demise
In Japanese, demise is 終焉, read しゅうえん (shuuen).
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 end (of life); death; demise
- n, vi, vs (peacefully) spending one's final years
Written forms: 終焉、終えん. Readings: しゅうえん.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “demise”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 移転 | いてん iten | transfer (of deeds, property, etc.); demise |
| 崩御 | ほうぎょ hougyo | death (of an emperor); demise |
| 薨去 | こうきょ koukyo | death (of a nobleman, Imperial family member, etc.); demise |
| 権利譲渡 | けんりじょうと kenrijouto | transfer of rights; demise; quitclaim deed |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 最終 | さいしゅう saishuu | last; final; closing |
| 終了 | しゅうりょう shuuryou | end; close; conclusion |
| 終わり | おわり owari | end; ending; close |
| 終わる | おわる owaru | to end; to come to an end; to finish |
| 終戦 | しゅうせん shuusen | end of war; cessation of hostilities |
| 終える | おえる oeru | to finish; to get through with; to complete |
| 烏焉魯魚 | うえんろぎょ uenrogyo | miswriting a word; using the wrong kanji to write a word |
| 忽焉 | こつえん kotsuen | sudden; unexpected |
See also: Chinese symbol for “demise”.
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.