Japanese symbol for “going”
行
こう
Romaji: kou
going; travelling; traveling; journey
In Japanese, going is 行, read こう (kou).
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, n-suf going; travelling; traveling; journey; trip
- n act; action
- n-suf bank
- ctr counter for banks
- ctr counter for groups or parties of people
- n type of classical Chinese verse (usu. an epic from the Tang period onwards)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “going”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| お越し | おこし okoshi | coming; going |
| お出で | おいで oide | coming; going; being (somewhere) |
| 失敬 | しっけい shikkei | leaving; going (on one's way); saying goodbye |
| ゴー | ゴー goo | going (somewhere) |
| 伏長 | ふせなが fusenaga | going (e.g. of a flight of stairs); length |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 行動 | こうどう koudou | action; conduct; behaviour |
| 行う | おこなう okonau | to perform; to do; to conduct oneself |
| 銀行 | ぎんこう ginkou | bank; banking institution |
| 行き | いき iki | the way there; outbound leg; outbound trip |
| 行為 | こうい koui | act; deed; conduct |
| 旅行 | りょこう ryokou | travel; trip; journey |
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.