Japanese symbol for “deterioration”
悪化
あっか
Romaji: akka
deterioration; getting worse; worsening; aggravation
In Japanese, deterioration is 悪化, read あっか (akka).
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 deterioration; getting worse; worsening; aggravation; degeneration; corruption
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “deterioration”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 低下 | ていか teika | fall; decline; lowering |
| 劣化 | れっか rekka | deterioration (in quality, performance, etc.); degradation; worsening |
| 退廃 | たいはい taihai | (moral) decay; (social) decline; decadence |
| 変質 | へんしつ henshitsu | alteration (of character or essence); change in quality; transformation |
| 老廃 | ろうはい rouhai | deterioration (due to age); wearing out; expiration |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 最悪 | さいあく saiaku | worst |
| 悪口 | わるぐち waruguchi | (verbal) abuse; speaking ill of people; bad-mouthing |
| 悪魔 | あくま akuma | devil; demon; fiend |
| 悪い | わるい warui | bad; poor; undesirable |
| 悪質 | あくしつ akushitsu | malicious; vicious; malignant |
| 文化 | ぶんか bunka | culture; civilization; civilisation |
| 変化 | へんか henka | change; variation; alteration |
| 強化 | きょうか kyouka | strengthening; intensifying; reinforcement |
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.