Japanese symbol for “smithereens”

木端微塵

こっぱみじん

Romaji: koppamijin

broken into small fragments; smashed to atoms; fragments and splinters; smithereens

In Japanese, smithereens is 木端微塵, read こっぱみじん (koppamijin).

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 broken into small fragments; smashed to atoms; fragments and splinters; smithereens

Written forms: 木端微塵、木っ端微塵、木葉微塵、こっぱ微塵. Readings: こっぱみじん.

Kanji and stroke order

木

tree, wood

on: ボク、モク
kun: き、こ-

4 strokes · JLPT 4

端

edge, origin, end

on: タン
kun: はし、は、はた、-ばた

14 strokes · JLPT 1

微

delicate, minuteness, insignificance

on: ビ
kun: かす.か

13 strokes · JLPT 1

塵

dust, trash, garbage

on: チン、ジン
kun: ちり、ごみ

14 strokes

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
木材	もくざい mokuzai	lumber; timber; wood
木造	もくぞう mokuzou	wooden; made of wood; wooden construction
木曜	もくよう mokuyou	Thursday
樹木	じゅもく jumoku	tree; trees and shrubs
青木	あおき aoki	Japanese laurel (Aucuba japonica); spotted laurel
並木	なみき namiki	roadside trees; row of trees
極端	きょくたん kyokutan	extreme; extremity
先端	せんたん sentan	pointed end; tip; point
微妙	びみょう bimyou	subtle; delicate; fine
微塵	みじん mijin	particle; atom; little piece

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.