Japanese symbol for “northland”
北国
きたぐに
Romaji: kitaguni
northern country
In Japanese, northland is 北国, read きたぐに (kitaguni).
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 northern country
- n northern provinces; northern regions; northland
Written forms: 北国. Readings: きたぐに、ほっこく.
Kanji and stroke order
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 |
| 北東 | ほくとう hokutou | northeast |
| 全国 | ぜんこく zenkoku | the whole country |
| 国内 | こくない kokunai | within the country; inside the county; domestic |
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.