Japanese symbol for “devastate”
荒らす
あらす
Romaji: arasu
to lay waste; to devastate; to damage
In Japanese, devastate is 荒らす, read あらす (arasu).
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 lay waste; to devastate; to damage
- v5s, vt to invade; to break into
- v5s, vt to troll (e.g. web forums); to spam (comp)
Written forms: 荒らす、荒す. Readings: あらす.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “devastate”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 吹き荒れる | ふきあれる fukiareru | to blow violently; to sweep over; to devastate |
| 打ちのめす | うちのめす uchinomesu | to deal a devastating blow (from which one cannot recover); to devastate (emotionally); to crush |
| 打ちのめす | ぶちのめす buchinomesu | to deal a devastating blow (from which one cannot recover); to devastate (emotionally); to crush |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 荒野 | こうや kouya | wasteland; wilderness; deserted land |
| 荒れる | あれる areru | to become stormy; to become rough (of the sea) |
| 荒木 | あらき araki | logs in bark; rough wood; unseasoned timber |
| 荒れ | あれ are | stormy weather; tempest; chaps (of skin) |
| 荒い | あらい arai | rough; wild; violent |
See also: Chinese symbol for “devastate”.
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.