Japanese symbol for “messy”
雑
ざつ
Romaji: zatsu
rough; crude; sloppy; messy
In Japanese, messy is 雑, read ざつ (zatsu).
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 rough; crude; sloppy; messy
- adj-no, n, n-pref miscellaneous
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “messy”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ごちゃごちゃ | ごちゃごちゃ gochagocha | messy; confused; chaotic |
| 汚い | きたない kitanai | disordered; messy; untidy |
| 雑然 | ざつぜん zatsuzen | untidy (room, pile, etc.); messy; cluttered |
| 滅茶苦茶 | めちゃくちゃ mechakucha | disorderly; chaotic; confused |
| むさ苦しい | むさくるしい musakurushii | messy; shabby; scruffy |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 雑誌 | ざっし zasshi | magazine; journal; periodical |
| 複雑 | ふくざつ fukuzatsu | complex; complicated; intricate |
| 混雑 | こんざつ konzatsu | congestion; crush; crowding |
| 雑談 | ざつだん zatsudan | chatting; idle talk |
| 大雑把 | おおざっぱ oozappa | rough (estimate, summary, etc.); broad; general |
| 雑草 | ざっそう zassou | weed |
See also: Chinese symbol for “messy”.
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.