King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “coast”

Romaji: engan
coast; shore

In Japanese, coast is , read (engan).

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

  1. n coast; shore
  2. n coastal waters; inshore waters; coastal area

Kanji and stroke order

run alongside, follow along, run along
on: エン
kun: そ.う、-ぞ.い
8 strokes · JLPT 1
beach
on: ガン
kun: きし
8 strokes · JLPT 2

Other Japanese words for “coast”

WordReadingMeaning
かいがん kaiganseashore; coast; seaside
きし kishibank; coast; shore
うみべ umibebeach; seashore; seaside
じかた jikatacoast (esp. as seen from the water); shore
コースト koosutocoast

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
ぞい zoialong (a river, coast, railway, etc.); on (e.g. a street)
えんせん ensenplaces alongside a railway line, bus route, major thoroughfare, etc.
そう souto run along; to run beside; to stick to (a line)
えんどう endouroadside; wayside; route
えんかく enkakuhistory; development
かいがん kaiganseashore; coast; seaside
わんがん wangangulf coast; bay coast
ひがん higanequinoctial week (when Buddhist services are held)

See also: Chinese symbol for “coast”.

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.

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