Japanese symbol for “archipelago”
列島
れっとう
Romaji: rettou
archipelago; chain of islands
In Japanese, archipelago is 列島, read れっとう (rettou).
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 archipelago; chain of islands
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “archipelago”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 諸島 | しょとう shotou | archipelago; group of islands |
| 群島 | ぐんとう guntou | island group; archipelago |
| 多島海 | たとうかい tatoukai | archipelago |
| アーキペラゴ | アーキペラゴ aakiperago | archipelago |
| 島嶼群 | とうしょぐん toushogun | group of islands; island group; archipelago |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 列車 | れっしゃ ressha | train; railway train |
| 系列 | けいれつ keiretsu | series; sequence; system |
| 行列 | ぎょうれつ gyouretsu | line; queue; procession |
| 配列 | はいれつ hairetsu | arranging; ordering; sequencing |
| 陳列 | ちんれつ chinretsu | exhibition; display; putting on show |
| 半島 | はんとう hantou | peninsula |
| 中島 | なかじま nakajima | island in a pond or river |
| 小島 | こじま kojima | small island; islet |
See also: Chinese symbol for “archipelago”.
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.