Japanese symbol for “rift”
亀裂
きれつ
Romaji: kiretsu
crack; crevice; fissure; chap
In Japanese, rift is 亀裂, read きれつ (kiretsu).
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 crack; crevice; fissure; chap; rift
Written forms: 亀裂、き裂、龜裂. Readings: きれつ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “rift”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 割れ目 | われめ wareme | crack; crevice; split |
| 切れ目 | きれめ kireme | gap; break; rift |
| 裂け目 | さけめ sakeme | tear; rip; rent |
| 溝 | みぞ mizo | gap (between people, countries, etc.); gulf; rift |
| 絶え間 | たえま taema | gap (e.g. in the clouds); rift; cleft |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 亀甲 | きっこう kikkou | tortoiseshell; tortoise shell |
| 亀田製菓 | かめだせいか kamedaseika | Kameda Seika Company |
| 亀の甲 | かめのこう kamenokou | tortoise shell |
| 出歯亀 | でばがめ debagame | voyeur; Peeping Tom |
| 泥亀 | どろがめ dorogame | Chinese soft-shelled turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis) |
| 分裂 | ぶんれつ bunretsu | split; division; break up |
| 破裂 | はれつ haretsu | bursting; rupture; explosion |
| 決裂 | けつれつ ketsuretsu | breakdown (of talks, negotiations, etc.); breaking off; rupture |
See also: Chinese symbol for “rift”.
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.