Japanese symbol for “demolish”
壊す
こわす
Romaji: kowasu
to break; to destroy; to demolish
In Japanese, demolish is 壊す, read こわす (kowasu).
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
- v5s, vt to break; to destroy; to demolish
- v5s, vt to wreck; to ruin; to spoil; to damage
- v5s, vt to break (a bill, etc.)
Written forms: 壊す、毀す. Readings: こわす.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “demolish”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 崩す | くずす kuzusu | to destroy; to demolish; to pull down |
| 取り壊す | とりこわす torikowasu | to demolish; to tear down; to pull down |
| 取り崩す | とりくずす torikuzusu | to demolish; to tear down; to pull down |
| 取り払う | とりはらう toriharau | to tear down; to pull down; to demolish |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 破壊 | はかい hakai | destruction; disruption |
| 崩壊 | ほうかい houkai | collapse; crumbling; breaking down |
| 壊れる | こわれる kowareru | to be broken; to break; to fall apart |
| 壊滅 | かいめつ kaimetsu | (complete) destruction; annihilation; devastation |
| 倒壊 | とうかい toukai | destruction; collapse; crumbling |
See also: Chinese symbol for “demolish”.
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.