King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “wasteland”

Romaji: kouya
wasteland; wilderness; deserted land; prairie

In Japanese, wasteland is , read (kouya).

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

  1. n wasteland; wilderness; deserted land; prairie; vast plain; wilds

Written forms: . Readings: .

Kanji and stroke order

laid waste, rough, rude
on: コウ
kun: あ.らす、あ.れる、あら.い、すさ.ぶ
9 strokes · JLPT 2
plains, field, rustic
on: ヤ、ショ
kun: の、の-
11 strokes · JLPT 3

Other Japanese words for “wasteland”

WordReadingMeaning
あれち arechiwasteland; wilderness; abandoned land
よもぎう yomogiuwasteland; area overgrown with weeds
あれち arechiThe Wasteland (poem by T.S. Eliot)
こうど koudowasteland; barren or infertile soil
ふもうのち fumounochibarren land; sterile soil; wasteland

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
あれる areruto become stormy; to become rough (of the sea)
あらき arakilogs in bark; rough wood; unseasoned timber
あれ arestormy weather; tempest; chaps (of skin)
あらす arasuto lay waste; to devastate; to damage
あらい arairough; wild; violent
やきゅう yakyuubaseball
ぶんや bun'yafield; sphere; realm
やさい yasaivegetable

See also: Chinese symbol for “wasteland”.

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.

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