Japanese symbol for “centre”
中央
ちゅうおう
Romaji: chuuou
centre; center; middle; heart
In Japanese, centre is 中央, read ちゅうおう (chuuou).
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 centre; center; middle; heart
- n capital; seat of government
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “centre”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 中心 | ちゅうしん chuushin | center; centre; middle |
| 中間 | ちゅうかん chuukan | middle; midway; halfway |
| センター | センター sentaa | centre; center |
| 真ん中 | まんなか mannaka | middle; centre; center |
| 中枢 | ちゅうすう chuusuu | centre; center; pivot |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 中心 | ちゅうしん chuushin | center; centre; middle |
| 途中 | とちゅう tochuu | on the way; en route |
| 集中 | しゅうちゅう shuuchuu | concentration (on a task); focusing one's attention |
| 中止 | ちゅうし chuushi | interruption; discontinuance; suspension |
| 中身 | なかみ nakami | contents; interior; filling |
| 中央大学 | ちゅうおうだいがく chuuoudaigaku | Chuo University |
| 中央公論 | ちゅうおうこうろん chuuoukouron | Chūōkōron (monthly literary magazine) |
| 震央 | しんおう shin'ou | epicentre (of an earthquake); epicenter |
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.