Japanese symbol for “lighten”
薄める
うすめる
Romaji: usumeru
to dilute; to water down; to thin; to lighten (e.g. a color)
In Japanese, lighten is 薄める, read うすめる (usumeru).
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
- v1, vt to dilute; to water down; to thin; to lighten (e.g. a color); to make less strong (e.g. flavor, depth, etc.)
- v1, vt to soften (e.g. a statement, impression, etc.); to weaken (e.g. an effect); to tone down; to temper
Kanji and stroke order
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 薄い | うすい usui | thin (of an object) |
| 薄暗い | うすぐらい usugurai | dim; gloomy |
| 希薄 | きはく kihaku | thin (air); weak (liquid); dilute |
| 軽薄 | けいはく keihaku | frivolous; flippant; superficial |
| 薄着 | うすぎ usugi | being lightly dressed |
| 品薄 | しなうす shinausu | shortage of stock; scarcity of goods; being in short supply |
See also: Chinese symbol for “lighten”.
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.