Japanese symbol for “rubbish”
塵
ごみ
Romaji: gomi
rubbish; trash; garbage; refuse
In Japanese, rubbish is 塵, read ごみ (gomi).
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 rubbish; trash; garbage; refuse; litter
Written forms: 塵、芥. Readings: ゴミ、ごみ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “rubbish”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 戯言 | たわごと tawagoto | nonsense; silly talk; drivel |
| 芥 | あくた akuta | rubbish; trash; garbage |
| 廃物 | はいぶつ haibutsu | waste material; waste; useless article |
| 出鱈目 | でたらめ detarame | nonsense; irresponsible remark; codswallop |
| 塵芥 | じんかい jinkai | rubbish; trash; garbage |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 微塵 | みじん mijin | particle; atom; little piece |
| 粉塵 | ふんじん funjin | dust; mine dust; mineral dust |
| 防塵 | ぼうじん boujin | protection against dust |
| 砂塵 | さじん sajin | cloud of dust; sandstorm |
| 後塵 | こうじん koujin | trailing dust; dust left by someone running ahead |
| 風塵 | ふうじん fuujin | wind-scattered dust; windblown sand |
See also: Chinese symbol for “rubbish”.
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.