Japanese symbol for “sailor”
船員
せんいん
Romaji: sen'in
sailor; seaman; seafarer
In Japanese, sailor is 船員, read せんいん (sen'in).
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 sailor; seaman; seafarer
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “sailor”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 海兵 | かいへい kaihei | sailor; marine |
| 船乗り | ふなのり funanori | sailor; seaman; mariner |
| 水兵 | すいへい suihei | (naval) sailor |
| セーラー | セーラー seeraa | sailor |
| 水夫 | すいふ suifu | sailor; seaman |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 船長 | せんちょう senchou | ship's captain; skipper |
| 風船 | ふうせん fuusen | balloon (toy or decoration) |
| 漁船 | ぎょせん gyosen | fishing boat |
| 船舶 | せんぱく senpaku | vessel; ship; shipping |
| 造船 | ぞうせん zousen | shipbuilding |
| 船橋 | ふなばし funabashi | pontoon bridge; floating bridge |
| 全員 | ぜんいん zen'in | all members; all hands; everyone |
| 議員 | ぎいん giin | member of an assembly; member of the Diet; member of parliament |
See also: Chinese symbol for “sailor”.
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.