Japanese symbol for “sludge”
汚泥
おでい
Romaji: odei
sludge; slime; dregs; mire
In Japanese, sludge is 汚泥, read おでい (odei).
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 sludge; slime; dregs; mire
- n hopeless situation; hell; despair
Written forms: 汚泥、淤泥. Readings: おでい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “sludge”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ヘドロ | ヘドロ hedoro | sludge; slime; chemical ooze |
| スラッジ | スラッジ surajji | sludge |
| 泥濘 | ぬかるみ nukarumi | muddy place; mud; mire |
| 軟泥 | なんでい nandei | sludge; ooze |
| 沈渣 | ちんさ chinsa | sediment; hypostatis; sludge |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 汚染 | おせん osen | pollution; contamination |
| 汚れ | よごれ yogore | dirt; filth; stain |
| 汚職 | おしょく oshoku | corruption (esp. by a government employee); bribery; graft |
| 汚い | きたない kitanai | dirty; filthy; foul |
| 汚れる | よごれる yogoreru | to get dirty; to become dirty |
| 汚物 | おぶつ obutsu | filth (esp. excrement, feces, urine); muck; waste |
| 泥棒 | どろぼう dorobou | thief; burglar; robber |
| 泥酔 | でいすい deisui | being dead drunk; drunken stupor |
See also: Chinese symbol for “sludge”.
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.