Japanese symbol for “mess”
様
ざま
Romaji: zama
mess; sorry state; plight; sad sight
In Japanese, mess is 様, read ざま (zama).
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 mess; sorry state; plight; sad sight
- suf -ways; -wards
- suf in the act of ...; just as one is ...
- suf manner of ...; way of ...
Written forms: 様、態. Readings: ざま、ザマ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “mess”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 乱雑 | らんざつ ranzatsu | disorder; confusion; clutter |
| 羽目 | はめ hame | plight; fix; bind |
| 体たらく | ていたらく teitaraku | (unpleasant) state of affairs; predicament; mess |
| ごちゃ混ぜ | ごちゃまぜ gochamaze | jumble; mixture; mess |
| 困ったこと | こまったこと komattakoto | trouble; problem; mess |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 同様 | どうよう douyou | same; similar; (just) like |
| 様子 | ようす yousu | state (of affairs); situation; circumstances |
| 模様 | もよう moyou | pattern; figure; design |
| 様々 | さまざま samazama | various; varied; diverse |
| 多様 | たよう tayou | diverse; various |
| 皆様 | みなさま minasama | everyone |
See also: Chinese symbol for “mess”.
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.