Japanese symbol for “soften”
和らげる
やわらげる
Romaji: yawarageru
to soften; to moderate; to relieve
In Japanese, soften is 和らげる, read やわらげる (yawarageru).
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
- v1, vt to soften; to moderate; to relieve
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “soften”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 和らぐ | やわらぐ yawaragu | to soften; to calm down; to be eased |
| 溶ける | とける tokeru | to melt; to liquefy; to soften (e.g. through heat) |
| 薄める | うすめる usumeru | to soften (e.g. a statement, impression, etc.); to weaken (e.g. an effect); to tone down |
| 練る | ねる neru | to gloss (silk); to soften; to degum |
| 解きほぐす | ときほぐす tokihogusu | to relax; to soften; to relieve (e.g. stress, tension) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 平和 | へいわ heiwa | peace; harmony |
| 昭和 | しょうわ shouwa | Shōwa era (1926.12.25-1989.1.7) |
| 緩和 | かんわ kanwa | relief; mitigation; alleviation |
| 和解 | わかい wakai | reconciliation; amicable settlement; accommodation |
| 和平 | わへい wahei | peace |
| 調和 | ちょうわ chouwa | harmony; accord; reconciliation |
See also: Chinese symbol for “soften”.
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.