Japanese symbol for “loss”
損
そん
Romaji: son
loss; damage; harm; unprofitable
In Japanese, loss is 損, read そん (son).
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
- adj-na, n, vi loss; damage; harm; unprofitable
- adj-na, n disadvantage; handicap; drawback; unfavorable
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “loss”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 損失 | そんしつ sonshitsu | loss (of assets, profit, etc.) |
| 喪失 | そうしつ soushitsu | loss; forfeit |
| 負け | まけ make | defeat; loss; losing (a game) |
| 損害 | そんがい songai | damage; injury; loss |
| 紛失 | ふんしつ funshitsu | loss; going missing |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 損害 | そんがい songai | damage; injury; loss |
| 損失 | そんしつ sonshitsu | loss (of assets, profit, etc.) |
| 破損 | はそん hason | damage; breakage |
| 損傷 | そんしょう sonshou | damage; injury |
| 損なう | そこなう sokonau | to harm; to hurt; to injure |
| 損益 | そんえき son'eki | profit and loss; advantage and disadvantage |
See also: Chinese symbol for “loss”.
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.