Japanese symbol for “canal”
運河
うんが
Romaji: unga
(navigable) canal; waterway
In Japanese, canal is 運河, read うんが (unga).
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 (navigable) canal; waterway
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “canal”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 堀江 | ほりえ horie | canal |
| 堀川 | ほりかわ horikawa | canal |
| 堀 | ほり hori | canal; ditch |
| 水路 | すいろ suiro | waterway; canal; channel |
| 管 | かん kan | vessel; duct; tract |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 運動 | うんどう undou | exercise; physical training; workout |
| 運転 | うんてん unten | operation (of a machine); running; working |
| 運営 | うんえい un'ei | management; administration; operation |
| 運用 | うんよう un'you | making use of; application; practical use |
| 運命 | うんめい unmei | fate; destiny; lot |
| 運ぶ | はこぶ hakobu | to carry; to transport; to move |
| 銀河 | ぎんが ginga | Milky Way |
| 河川 | かせん kasen | rivers |
See also: Chinese symbol for “canal”.
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.