Japanese symbol for “obsolescence”

陳腐化

ちんぷか

Romaji: chinpuka

obsolescence; becoming obsolete (of a product, etc.)

In Japanese, obsolescence is 陳腐化, read ちんぷか (chinpuka).

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 obsolescence; becoming obsolete (of a product, etc.)

Kanji and stroke order

陳

exhibit, state, relate

on: チン
kun: ひ.ねる

11 strokes · JLPT 1

腐

rot, decay, sour

on: フ
kun: くさ.る、-くさ.る、くさ.れる、くさ.れ

14 strokes · JLPT 1

化

change, take the form of, influence

on: カ、ケ
kun: ば.ける、ば.かす、ふ.ける、け.する

4 strokes · JLPT 2

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
陳列	ちんれつ chinretsu	exhibition; display; putting on show
陳腐	ちんぷ chinpu	stale; hackneyed; clichéd
陳述	ちんじゅつ chinjutsu	statement; declaration
陳情	ちんじょう chinjou	petition; appeal
新陳代謝	しんちんたいしゃ shinchintaisha	renewal; replacement; regeneration
陳謝	ちんしゃ chinsha	apology
腐敗	ふはい fuhai	decomposition; putrefaction; putrescence
豆腐	とうふ toufu	tofu; bean curd; beancurd
文化	ぶんか bunka	culture; civilization; civilisation

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.