Details
Stroke Order
Cultural Context
Etymology
Composed of altar and phonetic. Disaster from gods.
Symbolism
Calamity, disaster, misfortune. Represents unfortunate events.
Component Breakdown
spirit + 咼
Words & Expressions
Words written with 禍
Four-Character Compounds
吉凶禍福
きっきょうかふく
good and bad fortune, and weal and woe
禍福得喪
かふくとくそう
calamity, good fortune, success and failure
幸災楽禍
こうさいらくか
delighting in the misfortune of others
Proverbs & Idioms
禍福は糾える縄の如し
かふくはあざなえるなわのごとし
Fortune and misfortune are like a twisted rope
Good and bad times alternate
Anime & Manga
BLEACH 千年血戦篇-禍進譚-
BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War - The Calamity
A well-known work with 禍 in its Japanese title.
Other kanji with the same meaning
“calamity”
“misfortune”
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 禍 mean in Japanese?
禍 means calamity, misfortune, evil, curse.
How do you read 禍?
On'yomi: カ (KA). Kun'yomi: わざわい (wazawai).
How many strokes does 禍 have?
禍 has 13 strokes. Its radical is 示 (show).
Is 禍 a good kanji for a tattoo?
禍 is one of the kanji most often chosen for tattoos. It means calamity, misfortune, evil, curse. Read the full meaning and cultural background on this page first — some popular choices are deliberately dark.
Explore by meaning:calamity · misfortune · evil · curse