Japanese symbol for “dryness”
乾燥
かんそう
Romaji: kansou
dryness; aridity; drying (e.g. clothes); dehydration
In Japanese, dryness is 乾燥, read かんそう (kansou).
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 dryness; aridity; drying (e.g. clothes); dehydration; desiccation
- adj-na, n insipidity
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “dryness”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 乾き | かわき kawaki | drying; dryness |
| 乾性 | かんせい kansei | dry; dryness; dry (pleurisy) |
| 乾燥無味 | かんそうむみ kansoumumi | dryness; dullness |
| 荒れ性 | あれしょう areshou | dryness (of skin); (having) dry skin; having skin that chaps easily |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 乾杯 | かんぱい kanpai | cheers; bottoms-up; prosit |
| 乾電池 | かんでんち kandenchi | dry cell battery |
| 乾季 | かんき kanki | dry season |
| 乾かす | かわかす kawakasu | to dry (clothes, etc.); to desiccate |
| 乾物 | かんぶつ kanbutsu | dry provisions; dried food; dried goods |
| 焦燥 | しょうそう shousou | impatience; irritation; frustration |
| 乾燥機 | かんそうき kansouki | drying machine; dryer; desiccator |
| 燥ぐ | はしゃぐ hashagu | to make merry; to frolic; to be in high spirits |
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.