Japanese symbol for “perish”
滅びる
ほろびる
Romaji: horobiru
to go to ruin; to go under; to fall; to be destroyed
In Japanese, perish is 滅びる, read ほろびる (horobiru).
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
- v1, vi to go to ruin; to go under; to fall; to be destroyed; to die out; to become extinct
Written forms: 滅びる、亡びる. Readings: ほろびる.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “perish”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 滅ぶ | ほろぶ horobu | to go to ruin; to go under; to fall |
| 滅する | めっする messuru | to be destroyed; to perish; to go out (e.g. fire) |
| 果てる | はてる hateru | to die; to perish |
| 滅す | めっす messu | to be destroyed; to perish; to go out (e.g. fire) |
| お隠れになる | おかくれになる okakureninaru | to die; to decease; to perish |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 消滅 | しょうめつ shoumetsu | extinction; extinguishment; disappearance |
| 破滅 | はめつ hametsu | ruin; destruction; fall |
| 絶滅 | ぜつめつ zetsumetsu | extinction; extermination |
| 滅亡 | めつぼう metsubou | downfall; ruin; collapse |
| 撲滅 | ぼくめつ bokumetsu | eradication; extermination; destruction |
| 全滅 | ぜんめつ zenmetsu | total destruction; complete destruction; annihilation |
See also: Chinese symbol for “perish”.
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.