Japanese symbol for “eastern”
東
とう
Romaji: tou
eastern; east
In Japanese, eastern is 東, read とう (tou).
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
- pref eastern; east
- n Tokyo
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “eastern”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| イースタン | イースタン iisutan | eastern |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 東京 | とうきょう toukyou | Tokyo |
| 東西 | とうざい touzai | east and west |
| 東洋 | とうよう touyou | the East; the Orient; (East) Asia |
| 東部 | とうぶ toubu | eastern part; the east (of a region) |
| 北東 | ほくとう hokutou | northeast |
| 東北 | とうほく touhoku | north-east |
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.