Japanese symbol for “alternate”
交互
こうご
Romaji: kougo
alternate; alternating
In Japanese, alternate is 交互, read こうご (kougo).
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
- adj-no, n, vs alternate; alternating
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “alternate”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 代わり | かわり kawari | stand-in; proxy; alternate |
| 代理人 | だいりにん dairinin | proxy; agent; substitute |
| 互い違い | たがいちがい tagaichigai | alternate; alternation |
| 補欠 | ほけつ hoketsu | substitute; deputy; alternate |
| 隔 | かく kaku | every other; second; alternate |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 交換 | こうかん koukan | exchange; interchange; switching |
| 交通 | こうつう koutsuu | traffic; transportation |
| 交渉 | こうしょう koushou | negotiations; bargaining; discussions |
| 交流 | こうりゅう kouryuu | exchange (e.g. cultural); interchange; interaction |
| 外交 | がいこう gaikou | diplomacy |
| 交代 | こうたい koutai | change; alternation; rotation |
| 相互 | そうご sougo | mutual; reciprocal |
| 互いに | たがいに tagaini | mutually; with each other; reciprocally |
See also: Chinese symbol for “alternate”.
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.