King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “flickering”

Romaji: tenmetsu
switching on and off (of a light); flashing; blinking; flickering

In Japanese, flickering is , read (tenmetsu).

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

  1. n, vi, vs switching on and off (of a light); flashing; blinking; flickering

Kanji and stroke order

spot, point, mark
on: テン
kun: つ.ける、つ.く、た.てる、さ.す
9 strokes · JLPT 2
destroy, ruin, overthrow
on: メツ
kun: ほろ.びる、ほろ.ぶ、ほろ.ぼす
13 strokes · JLPT 1

Other Japanese words for “flickering”

WordReadingMeaning
ゆり yurivibration; flickering; jolting
ゆれ yureshaking; shake; jolt
チカチカ chikachikaflickering; flashing on and off; twinkling
めいめつ meimetsuflickering; blinking
ひらひら hirahiraflickering (light, flame, etc.)

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
してん shitenpoint of view; viewpoint; angle
ちてん chitenspot; point; place
じてん jitenpoint in time; occasion
しょうてん shoutenfocus; focal point
てんすう tensuumarks; points; score
げんてん gentenstarting point; origin; beginning
しょうめつ shoumetsuextinction; extinguishment; disappearance
はめつ hametsuruin; destruction; fall

See also: Chinese symbol for “flickering”.

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.

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