One of the best Japanese Kanji dictionary.

Share this page

Kanji Detail for 沌 - "chaos, confusion"

沌

  • Meaning

    沌 means "chaos, confusion." Also associated with primordial.

    1. Chaos - A state without form or order.

    2. Confusion - Lack of clarity; disorder.

    3. Primordial - The state before creation.

  • Origin of 沌

    The water radical 氵 beside 屯, a sprout struggling up through packed earth, which lends the reading ton. Water that will not settle: 混沌 (konton) is chaos, the undivided state before things separate.

    How to remember it: Water 氵 churning against a stubborn knot 屯 — nothing has settled yet: chaos.

    Sources: en.wiktionary.org · mojinavi.com

  • Tattoo check: 沌

    • Verified meaning: chaos, confusion
    • Jinmeiyō kanji — officially approved for use in Japanese given names
    • Also carries these associations: primordial

    A single kanji rarely maps one-to-one onto an English word. Read the meanings and associations above as a set — a character that fits the dictionary definition can still carry a connotation you did not intend.

  • Compare with other kanji that mean the same thing:

  • Dictionary Citations

    The meaning above is based on the following sources:

    KANJIDIC2 A comprehensive Japanese-English kanji dictionary

    primeval chaos

    Unihan Unicode Han Database for CJK characters

    chaotic, confused; turbid, murky

    CC-CEDICT A Chinese-English dictionary

    used in 混沌[hun4 dun4]

    Make Me a Hanzi Open-source Chinese character data

    chaotic, confused; murky, turbid

    XSZD Xuéshēng Zìdiǎn (學生字典) - Student's Dictionary

    混沌 (Hun-tun). Primordial chaos before differentiation. Also, an appearance of being unenlightened. Also written as 渾沌.

  • Onyomi

    tip

    ton(トン) トン

  • Kunyomi

    tip

    kura.i(くらい) くらい

  • Strokes

    tip

    7 strokes

  • Radical

    tip

    水 氵 氺 (mizu・sanzui・shitamizu)

  • Related Keywords

    chaos confusion primordial obstructed undifferentiated unflowing unformed unopened disorder disarray turmoil

More kanji with the radical 水 氵 氺 (mizu・sanzui・shitamizu)

See all kanji with this radical →

Share This Page

Share this link via

Or copy link