Japanese symbol for “abutting”

当接

とうせつ

Romaji: tousetsu

coming into contact; abutting

In Japanese, abutting is 当接, read とうせつ (tousetsu).

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

n, vs coming into contact; abutting

Kanji and stroke order

当

hit, right, appropriate

on: トウ
kun: あ.たる、あ.たり、あ.てる、あ.て

6 strokes · JLPT 2

接

touch, contact, adjoin

on: セツ、ショウ
kun: つ.ぐ

11 strokes · JLPT 2

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
本当	ほんとう hontou	truth; reality; actuality
当時	とうじ touji	at that time; in those days
担当	たんとう tantou	being in charge (of an area of responsibility); being responsible (for a work role, etc.)
当然	とうぜん touzen	natural; right; proper
相当	そうとう soutou	corresponding to (in meaning, function, etc.); being equivalent to
当選	とうせん tousen	being elected
直接	ちょくせつ chokusetsu	direct; immediate; personal
接触	せっしょく sesshoku	touch; contact; touching

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.