Japanese symbol for “captain”
機長
きちょう
Romaji: kichou
captain (of an aircraft)
In Japanese, captain is 機長, read きちょう (kichou).
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 captain (of an aircraft)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “captain”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 隊長 | たいちょう taichou | captain; commander; commanding officer |
| 大尉 | たいい taii | captain (Army, US Marine Corps, USAF); lieutenant (Navy); flight lieutenant (RAF, RAAF, RNZAF, etc.) |
| 艦長 | かんちょう kanchou | captain (of a warship) |
| 大佐 | たいさ taisa | colonel; (navy) captain |
| キャプテン | キャプテン kyaputen | captain |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 機能 | きのう kinou | function; facility; faculty |
| 機関 | きかん kikan | engine |
| 機会 | きかい kikai | chance; opportunity; occasion |
| 機械 | きかい kikai | machine; mechanism |
| 危機 | きき kiki | crisis; critical situation; emergency |
| 機構 | きこう kikou | mechanism; machinery |
| 成長 | せいちょう seichou | growth; development; growing up |
| 社長 | しゃちょう shachou | company president; manager; director |
See also: Chinese symbol for “captain”.
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.