Japanese symbol for “fester”
腐る
くさる
Romaji: kusaru
to rot; to go bad; to decay; to spoil
In Japanese, fester is 腐る, read くさる (kusaru).
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
- v5r, vi to rot; to go bad; to decay; to spoil; to fester; to decompose
- v5r, vi to corrode; to weather; to crumble
- v5r, vi to become useless; to blunt; to weaken (from lack of practice)
- v5r, vi to become depraved; to be degenerate; to be morally bankrupt; to be corrupt
- v5r, vi to be depressed; to be dispirited; to feel discouraged; to feel down
- aux-v, v5r to have the audacity to; to be bastard enough to
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “fester”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 膿む | うむ umu | to fester; to form pus |
| 膿み爛れる | うみただれる umitadareru | to fester |
| 爛れる | ただれる tadareru | to be sore; to be inflamed; to be bleary |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 腐敗 | ふはい fuhai | decomposition; putrefaction; putrescence |
| 豆腐 | とうふ toufu | tofu; bean curd; beancurd |
| 腐食 | ふしょく fushoku | rot; decay; erosion |
| 陳腐 | ちんぷ chinpu | stale; hackneyed; clichéd |
| 腐り | くさり kusari | rottenness; decay; corruption |
See also: Chinese symbol for “fester”.
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.