Japanese symbol for “locomotive”
機関車
きかんしゃ
Romaji: kikansha
locomotive; (train) engine
In Japanese, locomotive is 機関車, read きかんしゃ (kikansha).
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 locomotive; (train) engine (rail)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “locomotive”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ロコモーティブ | ロコモーティブ rokomootibu | locomotive |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 機能 | きのう kinou | function; facility; faculty |
| 機関 | きかん kikan | engine |
| 機会 | きかい kikai | chance; opportunity; occasion |
| 機械 | きかい kikai | machine; mechanism |
| 危機 | きき kiki | crisis; critical situation; emergency |
| 機構 | きこう kikou | mechanism; machinery |
| 関係 | かんけい kankei | relation; relationship; connection |
| 関連 | かんれん kanren | relation; connection; relevance |
| 車両 | しゃりょう sharyou | (wheeled) vehicle; car; (railroad) car |
See also: Chinese symbol for “locomotive”.
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.