Japanese symbol for “path”
道
みち
Romaji: michi
road; path; street; lane
In Japanese, path is 道, read みち (michi).
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 road; path; street; lane; passage
- n route; way
- n distance; journey
- n road (e.g. to victory); course
- n way (of living, proper conduct, etc.); moral principles
- n teachings (esp. Confucian or Buddhist); dogma
Written forms: 道、途、路、径. Readings: みち.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “path”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 進路 | しんろ shinro | route; course; path |
| 経路 | けいろ keiro | course; route; path |
| 小道 | こみち komichi | path; lane |
| 道筋 | みちすじ michisuji | course (of a road, moving object, etc.); way; route |
| パス | パス pasu | path (of a file, directory, etc.) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 報道 | ほうどう houdou | report (of news); reporting; news |
| 道路 | どうろ douro | road; highway |
| 鉄道 | てつどう tetsudou | railroad; railway; rail transport |
| 道具 | どうぐ dougu | tool; implement; instrument |
| 北海道 | ほっかいどう hokkaidou | Hokkaido (island, prefectural-level administrative unit) |
| 水道 | すいどう suidou | water supply; water service; waterworks |
See also: Chinese symbol for “path”.
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.