Japanese symbol for “borders”

周縁

しゅうえん

Romaji: shuuen

fringe; rim; periphery; borders

In Japanese, borders is 周縁, read しゅうえん (shuuen).

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 fringe; rim; periphery; borders; outskirts

Kanji and stroke order

周

circumference, circuit, lap

on: シュウ
kun: まわ.り

8 strokes · JLPT 2

縁

affinity, relation, connection

on: エン、-ネン
kun: ふち、ふち.どる、ゆかり、よすが

15 strokes · JLPT 1

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
周り	まわり mawari	circumference; girth
周辺	しゅうへん shuuhen	circumference; outskirts; environs
周囲	しゅうい shuui	surroundings; environs
一周	いっしゅう isshuu	one round; one circuit; one revolution
周期	しゅうき shuuki	cycle; period
周波数	しゅうはすう shuuhasuu	frequency (esp. of waveforms)
無縁	むえん muen	unrelated; unconnected; irrelevant
縁起	えんぎ engi	omen; sign of luck

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.