Japanese symbol for “rotten”

腐れ

くされ

Romaji: kusare

rotting; spoiling; decaying; corroding

In Japanese, rotten is 腐れ, read くされ (kusare).

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 rotting; spoiling; decaying; corroding
pref rotten; worthless; paltry; contemptible

Written forms: 腐れ. Readings: くされ、クサレ.

Kanji and stroke order

腐

rot, decay, sour

on: フ
kun: くさ.る、-くさ.る、くさ.れる、くさ.れ

14 strokes · JLPT 1

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
腐敗	ふはい fuhai	decomposition; putrefaction; putrescence
豆腐	とうふ toufu	tofu; bean curd; beancurd
腐食	ふしょく fushoku	rot; decay; erosion
腐る	くさる kusaru	to rot; to go bad; to decay
陳腐	ちんぷ chinpu	stale; hackneyed; clichéd
腐り	くさり kusari	rottenness; decay; corruption

See also: Chinese symbol for “rotten”.

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.