荒
laid waste · rough · rude · wild
Details
Stroke Order
Cultural Context
Etymology
Composed of grass, perish, and river. Grass perished.
Symbolism
Wasteland, ruin, become rough. Represents becoming wild.
Component Breakdown
grass + 巟
Words & Expressions
Words written with 荒
Four-Character Compounds
荒唐無稽
こうとうむけい
absurd; nonsensical; preposterous
満目荒涼
まんもくこうりょう
all nature being bleak and desolate; scene looking desolate and forlorn as far as the eye can see
流連荒亡
りゅうれんこうぼう
spending all one's time in idle amusement away from home; being absorbed in self-indulgent pleasures
Proverbs & Idioms
荒波を乗り越える
あらなみをのりこえる
To ride out the rough waves
Overcoming turbulent times
Poetry
荒海や佐渡によこたふ天河
A rough sea — and stretched toward Sado, the River of Heaven.
Anime & Manga
荒ぶる季節の乙女どもよ。
O Maidens in Your Savage Season
A well-known work with 荒 in its Japanese title.
荒川アンダー ザ ブリッジ
Arakawa Under the Bridge
A well-known work with 荒 in its Japanese title.
荒川アンダーザブリッジ
Arakawa Under the Bridge
A well-known work with 荒 in its Japanese title.
Related Figures & Stories
曾禰荒助
Name contains 荒
Viscount Sone Arasuke was a Japanese politician, diplomat, cabinet minister, and second Japanese Resident-General of Korea.
Wikipedia荒木村重
Name contains 荒
Araki Murashige was a retainer of Ikeda Katsumasa, head of the powerful "Setssu-Ikeda clan" of Settsu Province.
Wikipedia荒川修作
Name contains 荒
Shūsaku Arakawa was a Japanese conceptual artist and architect.
Wikipedia荒井郁之助
Name contains 荒
Arai Ikunosuke was a Japanese samurai of the late Edo period.
WikipediaOther kanji with the same meaning
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 荒 mean in Japanese?
荒 means laid waste, rough, rude, wild.
How do you read 荒?
On'yomi: コウ (KOU). Kun'yomi: あ.らす、あ.れる、あら.い、すさ.ぶ、すさ.む、あ.らし (arasu, areru, arai, susabu, susamu, arashi).
How many strokes does 荒 have?
荒 has 9 strokes. Its radical is 艸 (grass).
Is 荒 a good kanji for a tattoo?
荒 is one of the kanji most often chosen for tattoos. It means laid waste, rough, rude, wild. Read the full meaning and cultural background on this page first — some popular choices are deliberately dark.