Japanese symbol for “devastation”
壊滅
かいめつ
Romaji: kaimetsu
(complete) destruction; annihilation; devastation
In Japanese, devastation is 壊滅, read かいめつ (kaimetsu).
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 (complete) destruction; annihilation; devastation
Written forms: 壊滅、潰滅. Readings: かいめつ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “devastation”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 荒廃 | こうはい kouhai | ruin; destruction; devastation |
| 喪心 | そうしん soushin | being stunned (e.g. by the news); devastation |
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 |
| 壊す | こわす kowasu | to break; to destroy; to demolish |
| 壊れる | こわれる kowareru | to be broken; to break; to fall apart |
| 倒壊 | とうかい toukai | destruction; collapse; crumbling |
| 消滅 | しょうめつ shoumetsu | extinction; extinguishment; disappearance |
| 破滅 | はめつ hametsu | ruin; destruction; fall |
| 絶滅 | ぜつめつ zetsumetsu | extinction; extermination |
See also: Chinese symbol for “devastation”.
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.