King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “rust”

Romaji: sabi
rust

In Japanese, rust is , read (sabi).

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 rust

Written forms: . Readings: .

Kanji and stroke order

rust, tarnish
on: ショウ、セイ
kun: さび、くわ.しい
16 strokes

Other Japanese words for “rust”

WordReadingMeaning
ラスト rasutorust
さびる sabiruto rust; to become rusty
ふしょく fushokucorrosion; etching; rust
さびいろ sabiirorust (colour)
かなさび kanasabirust

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
さびる sabiruto rust; to become rusty
さびいろ sabiirorust (colour)
あかさび akasabired rust
さびどめ sabidomerust-proofing; anti-corrosive
さびつく sabitsukuto become rusted together; to become rusted shut
ふせいこう fuseikoustainless steel

See also: Chinese symbol for “rust”.

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.

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