Japanese symbol for “severing”

断截

だんせつ

Romaji: dansetsu

cutting; cutting off; severing

In Japanese, severing is 断截, read だんせつ (dansetsu).

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, vs cutting; cutting off; severing

Written forms: 断截、断切. Readings: だんせつ.

Kanji and stroke order

断

severance, decline, refuse

on: ダン
kun: た.つ、ことわ.る、さだ.める

11 strokes · JLPT 2

截

cut off, sever

on: セツ、サイ
kun: き.る、た.つ

14 strokes

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
判断	はんだん handan	judgment; judgement; decision
診断	しんだん shindan	diagnosis; medical examination
決断	けつだん ketsudan	decision; determination
無断	むだん mudan	absence of permission; lack of permission
中断	ちゅうだん chuudan	interruption; suspension; break
断念	だんねん dannen	abandoning (hope, plans); giving up
直截	ちょくせつ chokusetsu	direct; frank; straightforward
截拳道	ジークンドー jiikundoo	Jeet Kune Do (martial art founded by Bruce Lee)

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.