Japanese symbol for “wither”
枯れる
かれる
Romaji: kareru
to wither (of a plant); to be blasted; to die
In Japanese, wither is 枯れる, read かれる (kareru).
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 wither (of a plant); to be blasted; to die
- v1, vi to mature (of one's personality, abilities, etc.)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “wither”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 衰える | おとろえる otoroeru | to become weak; to decline; to wear |
| 萎む | しぼむ shibomu | to wither (of flowers, dreams, etc.); to wilt; to droop |
| 萎れる | しおれる shioreru | to wither; to wilt; to droop |
| 萎える | なえる naeru | to wither; to droop; to wilt |
| ウィザー | ウィザー wizaa | to wither |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 枯渇 | こかつ kokatsu | drying up; running dry |
| 枯葉 | かれは kareha | dead leaf; dry leaves |
| 枯れ木 | かれき kareki | dead tree; withered tree |
| 木枯らし | こがらし kogarashi | cold wintry wind |
| 枯死 | こし koshi | withering; dying |
See also: Chinese symbol for “wither”.
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.