Japanese symbol for “orient”
東洋
とうよう
Romaji: touyou
the East; the Orient; (East) Asia
In Japanese, orient is 東洋, read とうよう (touyou).
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 the East; the Orient; (East) Asia
- n Japan
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “orient”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 東亜 | とうあ toua | East Asia; the Orient |
| 東邦 | とうほう touhou | Oriental country; the Orient |
| 東方 | とうほう touhou | the Orient |
| オリエント | オリエント oriento | Orient |
| 方向付ける | ほうこうづける houkouzukeru | to direct; to guide; to orient |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 東京 | とうきょう toukyou | Tokyo |
| 東西 | とうざい touzai | east and west |
| 東部 | とうぶ toubu | eastern part; the east (of a region) |
| 北東 | ほくとう hokutou | northeast |
| 東北 | とうほく touhoku | north-east |
| 西洋 | せいよう seiyou | the West; the Occident; Western countries |
| 洋服 | ようふく youfuku | Western-style clothes (cf. traditional Japanese clothes) |
| 海洋 | かいよう kaiyou | ocean; sea |
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.