Japanese symbol for “northeast”
北東
ほくとう
Romaji: hokutou
northeast
In Japanese, northeast is 北東, read ほくとう (hokutou).
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 northeast
Written forms: 北東. Readings: ほくとう、きたひがし.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “northeast”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 丑寅 | うしとら ushitora | northeast |
| 北東部 | ほくとうぶ hokutoubu | northeastern part; the northeast |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 北部 | ほくぶ hokubu | northern part; the north (of a region) |
| 北海道 | ほっかいどう hokkaidou | Hokkaido (island, prefectural-level administrative unit) |
| 敗北 | はいぼく haiboku | defeat; loss; reverse |
| 南北 | なんぼく nanboku | north and south; north to south |
| 北朝鮮 | きたちょうせん kitachousen | North Korea |
| 東京 | とうきょう toukyou | Tokyo |
| 東西 | とうざい touzai | east and west |
| 東洋 | とうよう touyou | the East; the Orient; (East) Asia |
See also: Chinese symbol for “northeast”.
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.