Japanese symbol for “lateral”
側面
そくめん
Romaji: sokumen
side; flank; profile; sidelight
In Japanese, lateral is 側面, read そくめん (sokumen).
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 side; flank; profile; sidelight; lateral
- n aspect; dimension
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “lateral”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 外側 | そとがわ sotogawa | exterior; outside; outer |
| ラテラル | ラテラル rateraru | lateral |
| 側面音 | そくめんおん sokumen'on | lateral |
| 横断的 | おうだんてき oudanteki | cross-sectional; lateral; transverse |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 内側 | うちがわ uchigawa | inside; interior; inner part |
| 外側 | そとがわ sotogawa | exterior; outside; outer |
| 右側 | みぎがわ migigawa | right side; right-hand side |
| 左側 | ひだりがわ hidarigawa | left side; left-hand side |
| 両側 | りょうがわ ryougawa | both sides |
| 画面 | がめん gamen | screen (of a TV, computer, etc.) |
| 面倒 | めんどう mendou | trouble; bother |
| 面白い | おもしろい omoshiroi | interesting; fascinating; intriguing |
See also: Chinese symbol for “lateral”.
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.