King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “rusty”

Romaji: sabisabi
rusted; rusty

In Japanese, rusty is , read (sabisabi).

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. adj-no, n rusted; rusty

Kanji and stroke order

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

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 “rusty”.

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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