Japanese symbol for “channel”
海峡
かいきょう
Romaji: kaikyou
channel (e.g. between two land masses); strait
In Japanese, channel is 海峡, read かいきょう (kaikyou).
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 channel (e.g. between two land masses); strait
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “channel”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 水道 | すいどう suidou | channel; strait |
| 経路 | けいろ keiro | course; route; path |
| 瀬戸 | せと seto | strait; channel |
| 筋 | すじ suji | source (of information, etc.); circle; channel |
| 水路 | すいろ suiro | waterway; canal; channel |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 海外 | かいがい kaigai | foreign; abroad; overseas |
| 海岸 | かいがん kaigan | seashore; coast; seaside |
| 海軍 | かいぐん kaigun | navy; naval force |
| 北海道 | ほっかいどう hokkaidou | Hokkaido (island, prefectural-level administrative unit) |
| 海上 | かいじょう kaijou | (on the) sea; surface of the sea |
| 海洋 | かいよう kaiyou | ocean; sea |
| 峡谷 | きょうこく kyoukoku | gorge; ravine; canyon |
| 関門海峡 | かんもんかいきょう kanmonkaikyou | Kanmon Straits (between Honshu and Kyushu) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “channel”.
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.