Japanese symbol for “narrowest”

最狭

さいきょう

Romaji: saikyou

narrowest; most cramped

In Japanese, narrowest is 最狭, read さいきょう (saikyou).

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

adj-no, n narrowest; most cramped

Kanji and stroke order

最

utmost, most, extreme

on: サイ、シュ
kun: もっと.も、つま

12 strokes · JLPT 2

狭

cramped, narrow, contract

on: キョウ、コウ
kun: せま.い、せば.める、せば.まる、さ

9 strokes · JLPT 2

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
最近	さいきん saikin	recently; lately; these days
最後	さいご saigo	end; conclusion
最初	さいしょ saisho	beginning; outset; first
最高	さいこう saikou	best; supreme; wonderful
最終	さいしゅう saishuu	last; final; closing
最大	さいだい saidai	biggest; greatest; largest
狭い	せまい semai	narrow; confined; small
狭間	はざま hazama	gap; narrow space between things; interstice

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.