Japanese symbol for “spill”
流す
ながす
Romaji: nagasu
to drain; to pour; to run; to let flow
In Japanese, spill is 流す, read ながす (nagasu).
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
- v5s, vt to drain; to pour; to run; to let flow; to flush; to shed (blood, tears)
- v5s, vt to float (e.g. logs down a river); to set adrift
- v5s, vt to wash away; to carry away; to sweep away
- v5s, vt to broadcast; to play (e.g. music over a loudspeaker); to send (electricity through a wire)
- v5s, vt to circulate (a rumour, information, etc.); to spread; to distribute
- v5s, vi to cruise (of a taxi); to stroll around (in search of customers, an audience, etc.); to go from place to place
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “spill”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 流出 | りゅうしゅつ ryuushutsu | outflow; effluence; efflux |
| 転落 | てんらく tenraku | fall; tumble; spill |
| 垂らす | たらす tarasu | to dribble; to spill |
| 零れる | こぼれる koboreru | to spill; to fall out of; to overflow |
| 零す | こぼす kobosu | to spill; to drop; to shed (tears) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 流れ | ながれ nagare | flow (of a fluid or gas); stream; current |
| 交流 | こうりゅう kouryuu | exchange (e.g. cultural); interchange; interaction |
| 流行 | りゅうこう ryuukou | fashion; trend; vogue |
| 流通 | りゅうつう ryuutsuu | circulation (of money, goods, etc.); distribution |
| 流し | ながし nagashi | sink (e.g. in a kitchen) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “spill”.
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.