Japanese symbol for “quarrel”
喧嘩
けんか
Romaji: kenka
quarrel; brawl; fight; squabble
In Japanese, quarrel is 喧嘩, read けんか (kenka).
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, vi, vs quarrel; brawl; fight; squabble; scuffle; argument
Written forms: 喧嘩、諠譁. Readings: けんか、ケンカ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “quarrel”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 口論 | こうろん kouron | quarrel; argument; row |
| 争い | あらそい arasoi | fight; dispute; feud |
| 競合 | きょうごう kyougou | contention; competition; rivalry |
| トラブル | トラブル toraburu | trouble; difficulty; problem |
| 争う | あらそう arasou | to quarrel; to argue; to dispute |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 喧騒 | けんそう kensou | tumult; great noise; clatter |
| 口喧嘩 | くちげんか kuchigenka | quarrel; dispute; argument |
| 喧しい | やかましい yakamashii | noisy; loud; clamorous |
| 喧伝 | けんでん kenden | spreading around (news, etc.); talking about widely; noising about |
| 喧嘩腰 | けんかごし kenkagoshi | belligerent attitude; readiness to fight; belligerence |
| 痴話喧嘩 | ちわげんか chiwagenka | lovers' quarrel |
| 兄妹喧嘩 | きょうだいげんか kyoudaigenka | quarrel between siblings |
| 内輪喧嘩 | うちわげんか uchiwagenka | family quarrel; internal squabble; domestic trouble |
See also: Chinese symbol for “quarrel”.
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.