Japanese symbol for “harbour”
港
みなと
Romaji: minato
harbour; harbor; port
In Japanese, harbour is 港, read みなと (minato).
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 harbour; harbor; port
Written forms: 港、湊. Readings: みなと.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “harbour”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 港湾 | こうわん kouwan | harbour; harbor |
| 挟む | はさむ hasamu | to harbour (feelings); to cast (e.g. doubt) |
| 船着き場 | ふなつきば funatsukiba | harbour; harbor; landing place |
| 宿す | やどす yadosu | to house; to contain; to harbour (a feeling) |
| 含む | ふくむ fukumu | to bear in mind; to understand; to harbor (grudge, etc.) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 空港 | くうこう kuukou | airport |
| 香港 | ホンコン honkon | Hong Kong |
| 港湾 | こうわん kouwan | harbour; harbor |
| 漁港 | ぎょこう gyokou | fishing harbour; fishing harbor |
| 開港 | かいこう kaikou | opening a port (seaport, airport, etc.); starting operations at a port |
| 寄港 | きこう kikou | calling at a port |
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.