Japanese symbol for “environment”
環境
かんきょう
Romaji: kankyou
environment; surroundings; circumstances
In Japanese, environment is 環境, read かんきょう (kankyou).
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 environment; surroundings; circumstances
Written forms: 環境、還境. Readings: かんきょう.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “environment”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 境遇 | きょうぐう kyouguu | one's circumstances; environment; situation (in life) |
| 園 | その sono | place; world; environment |
| 勝手 | かって katte | surroundings; environment; way of doing things |
| 境 | さかい sakai | area; region; spot |
| 自然環境 | しぜんかんきょう shizenkankyou | natural environment; (the) environment |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 循環 | じゅんかん junkan | circulation; rotation; cycle |
| 一環 | いっかん ikkan | link (e.g. in a chain of events); part (of a plan, campaign, activities, etc.) |
| 悪循環 | あくじゅんかん akujunkan | vicious circle; vicious cycle |
| 環状 | かんじょう kanjou | annulation; ring shape; loop shape |
| 環礁 | かんしょう kanshou | atoll; circular coral reef |
| 国境 | こっきょう kokkyou | border (between countries); national border |
| 境界 | きょうかい kyoukai | boundary; border; limit |
| 心境 | しんきょう shinkyou | state of mind; mental state; mental attitude |
See also: Chinese symbol for “environment”.
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.