Japanese symbol for “railway”
鉄道
てつどう
Romaji: tetsudou
railroad; railway; rail transport
In Japanese, railway is 鉄道, read てつどう (tetsudou).
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 railroad; railway; rail transport
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “railway”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 線路 | せんろ senro | railway track; railway line; railroad |
| 鉄 | てつ tetsu | railway |
| 鉄路 | てつろ tetsuro | railroad; railway |
| レールウェイ | レールウェイ reeruwei | railway |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 地下鉄 | ちかてつ chikatetsu | subway; metro; underground (railway) |
| 国鉄 | こくてつ kokutetsu | national railway |
| 鉄骨 | てっこつ tekkotsu | steel frame; steel beam; steel girder |
| 鉄筋 | てっきん tekkin | rebar; (iron) reinforcing bar; reinforcing steel |
| 私鉄 | してつ shitetsu | private railway |
| 報道 | ほうどう houdou | report (of news); reporting; news |
| 道路 | どうろ douro | road; highway |
| 道具 | どうぐ dougu | tool; implement; instrument |
See also: Chinese symbol for “railway”.
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.