Japanese symbol for “untangle”
解きほぐす
ときほぐす
Romaji: tokihogusu
to disentangle; to untangle; to unravel
In Japanese, untangle is 解きほぐす, read ときほぐす (tokihogusu).
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 disentangle; to untangle; to unravel
- v5s, vt to relax; to soften; to relieve (e.g. stress, tension); to remove (e.g. doubt)
Written forms: 解きほぐす、解き解す. Readings: ときほぐす.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “untangle”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 解す | ほぐす hogusu | to disentangle; to untangle; to unravel |
| 解す | ほつす hotsusu | to disentangle; to untangle; to unravel |
| 梳かす | とかす tokasu | to comb out; to brush; to untangle |
| 解く | とく toku | to comb (out); to card; to untangle (hair) |
| 捌く | さばく sabaku | to untangle; to disentangle; to part |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 理解 | りかい rikai | understanding; comprehension; appreciation |
| 解決 | かいけつ kaiketsu | settlement; solution; resolution |
| 解説 | かいせつ kaisetsu | explanation; commentary; exposition |
| 解散 | かいさん kaisan | breaking up (a meeting, gathering, etc.); dispersal (e.g. of a crowd) |
| 解放 | かいほう kaihou | release; unleashing; liberation |
| 解除 | かいじょ kaijo | termination (of a contract); cancellation; rescinding |
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.