King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “helmsman”

Romaji: dashu
helmsman; steersman; coxswain; cox

In Japanese, helmsman is , read (dashu).

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 helmsman; steersman; coxswain; cox

Kanji and stroke order

rudder, helm, wheel
on: ダ、タ
kun: かじ
11 strokes
hand
on: シュ、ズ
kun: て、て-、-て、た-
4 strokes · JLPT 4

Other Japanese words for “helmsman”

WordReadingMeaning
かじとり kajitoristeering (a boat); helmsman; steersman
そうだしゅ soudashusteersman; helmsman
そうじゅうしゃ soujuushapilot (of an aircraft, spacecraft, etc.); operator (of a machine, drone, etc.); steersman

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
そうだ soudasteering (of a boat); steerage
かじとり kajitoristeering (a boat); helmsman; steersman
おもかじ omokajistarboard (side of a ship)
そうだしゅ soudashusteersman; helmsman
とりかじ torikajiport (side of a ship)
あいて aitecompanion; partner; company
せんしゅ senshuplayer (of a sport); athlete; team member
しゅだん shudanmeans; way; method

See also: Chinese symbol for “helmsman”.

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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