Japanese symbol for “oblivion”
忘却
ぼうきゃく
Romaji: boukyaku
lapse of memory; forgetting completely; (consigning to) oblivion
In Japanese, oblivion is 忘却, read ぼうきゃく (boukyaku).
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, vs, vt lapse of memory; forgetting completely; (consigning to) oblivion
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “oblivion”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 闇 | やみ yami | hidden place; secrecy; oblivion |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 忘年会 | ぼうねんかい bounenkai | year-end party; "forget-the-year" party; bōnenkai |
| 忘れ物 | わすれもの wasuremono | lost article; thing left behind |
| 忘れる | わすれる wasureru | to forget; to leave carelessly; to be forgetful of |
| 物忘れ | ものわすれ monowasure | forgetfulness |
| 忘れ去る | わすれさる wasuresaru | to forget completely; to leave behind |
| 売却 | ばいきゃく baikyaku | selling off; disposal by sale; sale |
| 却下 | きゃっか kyakka | rejection; dismissal |
| 冷却 | れいきゃく reikyaku | cooling; refrigeration |
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.