King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “backwater”

Romaji: haisui
backwater

In Japanese, backwater is , read (haisui).

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

  1. n backwater
  2. n standing with one's back to water (river, lake, etc.)

Kanji and stroke order

stature, height, back
on: ハイ
kun: せ、せい、そむ.く、そむ.ける
9 strokes · JLPT 2
water
on: スイ
kun: みず、みず-
4 strokes · JLPT 4

Other Japanese words for “backwater”

WordReadingMeaning
よどみ yodomistagnation; deposit; sediment
バックウォーター bakkuwootaabackwater

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
はいけい haikeibackground; scenery; backdrop
せなか senakaback (of the body)
はいご haigoback; rear
せぼね sebonespine; backbone; spinal column
せびろ sebirobusiness suit
せおう seouto carry on one's back
みずぎ mizugibathing suit; swimsuit; swimmers
すいじゅん suijunlevel; standard

See also: Chinese symbol for “backwater”.

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.

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