Japanese symbol for “city”
都会
とかい
Romaji: tokai
city
In Japanese, city is 都会, read とかい (tokai).
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 city
- n Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “city”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 区 | く ku | ward; borough; city (in Tokyo) |
| 都市 | とし toshi | town; city; municipal |
| 市 | し shi | city |
| 市立 | しりつ shiritsu | municipal; city |
| 市街 | しがい shigai | urban areas; the streets; town |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 都市 | とし toshi | town; city; municipal |
| 都合 | つごう tsugou | circumstances; condition; convenience |
| 首都 | しゅと shuto | (national) capital (city); metropolis |
| 都内 | とない tonai | within the (Tokyo) metropolitan area |
| 京都 | きょうと kyouto | Kyoto (city, prefecture) |
| 会社 | かいしゃ kaisha | company; corporation; firm |
| 社会 | しゃかい shakai | society; public; community |
| 大会 | たいかい taikai | mass meeting; convention; rally |
See also: Chinese symbol for “city”.
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.