Japanese symbol for “spilling”

零れ

こぼれ

Romaji: kobore

spilling; spill

In Japanese, spilling is 零れ, read こぼれ (kobore).

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 spilling; spill
n leavings; leftovers

Written forms: 零れ、溢れ. Readings: こぼれ.

Kanji and stroke order

零

zero, spill, overflow

on: レイ
kun: ぜろ、こぼ.す、こぼ.れる

13 strokes · JLPT 2

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
零細	れいさい reisai	insignificant; trifling; paltry
零下	れいか reika	below zero; sub-zero
零れる	こぼれる koboreru	to spill; to fall out of; to overflow
零時	れいじ reiji	twelve o'clock; midnight; noon
零す	こぼす kobosu	to spill; to drop; to shed (tears)

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.