Japanese symbol for “china”
中国
ちゅうごく
Romaji: chuugoku
China
In Japanese, china is 中国, read ちゅうごく (chuugoku).
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 China
- n Chūgoku region (western part of Honshu comprising the prefectures of Okayama, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, Tottori and Shimane)
- n central part of a country; main region
- n province of the second lowest rank (ritsuryō system)
Written forms: 中国、中國. Readings: ちゅうごく、ちゅうこく.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “china”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 中華 | ちゅうか chuuka | China |
| 陶器 | とうき touki | pottery; earthenware; ceramics |
| 支那 | しな shina | China |
| 中 | ちゅう chuu | China |
| 唐 | から kara | China (sometimes also used in ref. to Korea or other foreign countries) |
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 |
| 中央 | ちゅうおう chuuou | centre; center; middle |
| 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 |
| 全国 | ぜんこく zenkoku | the whole country |
| 国内 | こくない kokunai | within the country; inside the county; domestic |
See also: Chinese symbol for “china”.
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.