Japanese symbol for “shadowy”
蒼茫
そうぼう
Romaji: soubou
vast and blue (e.g. ocean)
In Japanese, shadowy is 蒼茫, read そうぼう (soubou).
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
- adj-t, adv-to vast and blue (e.g. ocean)
- adj-t, adv-to dusky; shadowy
Kanji and stroke order
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 蒼天 | そうてん souten | blue sky; azure sky |
| 蒼穹 | そうきゅう soukyuu | blue sky |
| 蒼白 | そうはく souhaku | pale; pallid |
| 蒼空 | そうくう soukuu | blue sky |
| 鬱蒼 | うっそう ussou | thick; dense; luxuriant |
| 蒼生 | そうせい sousei | the masses; people |
| 茫然 | ぼうぜん bouzen | vague |
| 茫漠 | ぼうばく boubaku | vast; boundless |
See also: Chinese symbol for “shadowy”.
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.