Japanese symbol for “vanish”
消える
きえる
Romaji: kieru
to disappear; to vanish; to go out of sight; to go away
In Japanese, vanish is 消える, read きえる (kieru).
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
- v1, vi to disappear; to vanish; to go out of sight; to go away; to become lost
- v1, vi to go out (of a fire, light, etc.); to die; to turn off (e.g. of a TV screen)
- v1, vi to fade (of a feeling, impression, etc.); to vanish (e.g. of hope)
- v1, vi to go away (e.g. of a smell, itchiness, sleepiness); to disappear; to fade away (e.g. of footsteps)
- v1, vi to wear away (e.g. of an inscription); to rub out (of writing); to fade (e.g. of ink)
- v1, vi to be lost (e.g. of a tradition); to die out; to disappear
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “vanish”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 消え去る | きえさる kiesaru | to disappear; to vanish |
| 飛ぶ | とぶ tobu | to disappear; to vanish; to fade |
| 吹き飛ぶ | ふきとぶ fukitobu | to vanish; to disappear; to be dispelled |
| 失せる | うせる useru | to disappear; to vanish; to fade away |
| 消し飛ぶ | けしとぶ keshitobu | to scatter away; to fly away; to blow away |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 消費 | しょうひ shouhi | consumption; expenditure; spending |
| 解消 | かいしょう kaishou | cancellation; liquidation; resolution |
| 消滅 | しょうめつ shoumetsu | extinction; extinguishment; disappearance |
| 消防 | しょうぼう shoubou | fire fighting |
| 消化 | しょうか shouka | digestion (of food) |
| 取り消し | とりけし torikeshi | cancellation; withdrawal; abolition |
See also: Chinese symbol for “vanish”.
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.