Japanese symbol for “thoroughly”
散々
さんざん
Romaji: sanzan
thoroughly; completely; utterly
In Japanese, thoroughly is 散々, read さんざん (sanzan).
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
- adj-na, adv thoroughly; completely; utterly
- adj-na, adv severely; harshly; terribly; miserably; wretchedly; badly
- adj-na scattered; disconnected; dispersed; smashed into tiny pieces
Written forms: 散々、散散. Readings: さんざん.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “thoroughly”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 思う存分 | おもうぞんぶん omouzonbun | to one's heart's content; to one's complete satisfaction; as much as one likes |
| すっかり | すっかり sukkari | all; completely; totally |
| じっくり | じっくり jikkuri | (slowly and) carefully; without haste; thoroughly |
| 徹頭徹尾 | てっとうてつび tettoutetsubi | thoroughly; through and through; out and out |
| とっくり | とっくり tokkuri | thoroughly; carefully; deliberately |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 解散 | かいさん kaisan | breaking up (a meeting, gathering, etc.); dispersal (e.g. of a crowd) |
| 散歩 | さんぽ sanpo | walk; stroll |
| 分散 | ぶんさん bunsan | dispersion; breakup; scattering |
| 拡散 | かくさん kakusan | spreading; disseminating; scattering |
| 発散 | はっさん hassan | emission; emanation; radiation |
See also: Chinese symbol for “thoroughly”.
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.