King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “rubble”

Romaji: gareki
rubble; debris; wreckage; tiles and pebbles

In Japanese, rubble is , read (gareki).

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

  1. n rubble; debris; wreckage; tiles and pebbles
  2. n trash; rubbish

Written forms: . Readings: .

Kanji and stroke order

tile, gram
on: ガ
kun: かわら、ぐらむ
5 strokes
small stones
on: レキ
kun: つぶて、こいし
20 strokes

Other Japanese words for “rubble”

WordReadingMeaning
わりいし wariishibroken stones; rubble
あらいし araishiunprocessed stone; rubble

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
ガス gasugas (as a fuel)
がかい gakaicollapse; downfall
れんが rengabrick
せいがだい seigadaiBlue House (official residence of the president of South Korea); Cheong Wa Dae
おにがわら onigawaradecorative ridge-end tile (traditionally bearing the face of a demon and resembling a gargoyle)
されき sarekipebbles
かみつぶて kamitsubutepaper pellet; spitball
なしのつぶて nashinotsubutenot getting a reply

See also: Chinese symbol for “rubble”.

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.

Last posts

  1. Choosing a Bokken with Scabbard for Iaido Beginners
  2. Is a Plastic Saya Worth Adding to a Bokken for Drawing?
  3. Choosing the Best Aikido Bokken for Daily Training
  4. Choosing the Best Heavy Bokken for Suburi Training
  5. Are Bamboo Practice Swords Safer Than Wooden Ones
  6. Choosing the Best Wooden Sword Stand for Your Collection
  7. Why Bokken Crack and Which Woods Handle Impact Best
  8. Best Bokken Bags and Cases for Martial Arts Training
  9. Choosing the Best Wooden Tanto for Realistic Knife Drills
  10. What Is a Suburito and Is It Worth Buying for Strength