Japanese symbol for “passerby”

通行人

つうこうにん

Romaji: tsuukounin

passerby; pedestrian; foot passenger

In Japanese, passerby is 通行人, read つうこうにん (tsuukounin).

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 passerby; pedestrian; foot passenger

Kanji and stroke order

通

traffic, pass through, avenue

on: ツウ、ツ
kun: とお.る、とお.り、-とお.り、-どお.り

10 strokes · JLPT 3

行

going, journey, carry out

on: コウ、ギョウ、アン
kun: い.く、ゆ.く、-ゆ.き、-ゆき

6 strokes · JLPT 4

人

person

on: ジン、ニン
kun: ひと、-り、-と

2 strokes · JLPT 4

Other Japanese words for “passerby”

Word	Reading	Meaning
通行者	つうこうしゃ tsuukousha	passerby; pedestrian; foot passenger
道行く人	みちゆくひと michiyukuhito	passerby

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
普通	ふつう futsuu	normal; ordinary; regular
通り	どおり doori	in accordance with; following
通常	つうじょう tsuujou	usual; ordinary; normal
通信	つうしん tsuushin	correspondence; communication; transmission
交通	こうつう koutsuu	traffic; transportation
共通	きょうつう kyoutsuu	common; shared; mutual
行動	こうどう koudou	action; conduct; behaviour
行う	おこなう okonau	to perform; to do; to conduct oneself
人間	にんげん ningen	human being; human; person

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.