Japanese symbol for “whiten”
白む
しらむ
Romaji: shiramu
to whiten; to grow light (esp. at dawn); to turn white
In Japanese, whiten is 白む, read しらむ (shiramu).
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
- v5m, vi to whiten; to grow light (esp. at dawn); to turn white
- v5m, vi to cool (of a mood); to be dampened (of enthusiasm); to be spoiled
- v5m, vi to decline; to weaken; to become debilitated
- v5m, vi to lose its tone (of a musical instrument); to diminish in skill
- v5m, vi to lose momentum; to falter; to be dispirited
- v5m, vi to fade (of a color); to come off
Written forms: 白む. Readings: しらむ、しろむ.
Kanji and stroke order
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 面白い | おもしろい omoshiroi | interesting; fascinating; intriguing |
| 白人 | はくじん hakujin | white person; Caucasian |
| 白い | しろい shiroi | white |
| 告白 | こくはく kokuhaku | confession (to a crime, wrongdoing, etc.); admission |
| 紅白 | こうはく kouhaku | red and white; colours for festive or auspicious occasions (colors) |
| 明白 | めいはく meihaku | obvious; clear; plain |
See also: Chinese symbol for “whiten”.
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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