Japanese symbol for “downfall”
滅亡
めつぼう
Romaji: metsubou
downfall; ruin; collapse; destruction
In Japanese, downfall is 滅亡, read めつぼう (metsubou).
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 downfall; ruin; collapse; destruction
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “downfall”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 没落 | ぼつらく botsuraku | ruin; fall; collapse |
| 失脚 | しっきゃく shikkyaku | losing one's position; losing one's standing; downfall |
| 瓦解 | がかい gakai | collapse; downfall |
| 転落 | てんらく tenraku | fall (in position, standing, etc.); downfall; descent |
| 衰亡 | すいぼう suibou | decline and fall; ruin; downfall |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 撲滅 | ぼくめつ bokumetsu | eradication; extermination; destruction |
| 全滅 | ぜんめつ zenmetsu | total destruction; complete destruction; annihilation |
| 死亡 | しぼう shibou | death; dying; mortality |
| 亡命 | ぼうめい boumei | fleeing from one's country; seeking asylum; defection |
| 逃亡 | とうぼう toubou | escape; flight; running away |
See also: Chinese symbol for “downfall”.
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.