King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “wither”

Romaji: kareru
to wither (of a plant); to be blasted; to die

In Japanese, wither is , read (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

  1. v1, vi to wither (of a plant); to be blasted; to die
  2. v1, vi to mature (of one's personality, abilities, etc.)

Kanji and stroke order

wither, die, dry up
on: コ
kun: か.れる、か.らす
9 strokes · JLPT 2

Other Japanese words for “wither”

WordReadingMeaning
おとろえる otoroeruto become weak; to decline; to wear
しぼむ shibomuto wither (of flowers, dreams, etc.); to wilt; to droop
しおれる shioreruto wither; to wilt; to droop
なえる naeruto wither; to droop; to wilt
ウィザー wizaato wither

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
こかつ kokatsudrying up; running dry
かれは karehadead leaf; dry leaves
かれき karekidead tree; withered tree
こがらし kogarashicold wintry wind
こし koshiwithering; 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.

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