Japanese symbol for “tumultuous”
怒涛
どとう
Romaji: dotou
surging waves; raging billows
In Japanese, tumultuous is 怒涛, read どとう (dotou).
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 surging waves; raging billows
- adj-no turbulent; tempestuous; tumultuous; chaotic
Written forms: 怒涛、怒濤. Readings: どとう.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “tumultuous”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 喧々諤々 | けんけんがくがく kenkengakugaku | tumultuous (with everyone voicing their opinions simultaneously); uproarious |
| やんや | やんや yan'ya | loud (e.g. applause); enthusiastic; tumultuous |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 怒り | いかり ikari | anger; rage; fury |
| 怒る | おこる okoru | to get angry; to get mad; to lose one's temper |
| 激怒 | げきど gekido | rage; fury |
| 怒鳴る | どなる donaru | to shout (in anger); to yell |
| 喜怒哀楽 | きどあいらく kidoairaku | human emotions (joy, anger, grief and pleasure); feelings |
| 狂瀾怒涛 | きょうらんどとう kyourandotou | maelstrom; the state of affairs being in great turmoil |
| 松涛館流 | しょうとうかんりゅう shoutoukanryuu | Shotokan (style of karate) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “tumultuous”.
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.