Japanese symbol for “seashore”
海岸
かいがん
Romaji: kaigan
seashore; coast; seaside; waterfront
In Japanese, seashore is 海岸, read かいがん (kaigan).
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 seashore; coast; seaside; waterfront; beach
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “seashore”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 浜 | はま hama | beach; seashore |
| 海浜 | かいひん kaihin | seashore; seaside; beach |
| 海辺 | うみべ umibe | beach; seashore; seaside |
| 磯 | いそ iso | (rocky) beach; seashore |
| 磯辺 | いそべ isobe | seashore; beach |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 海外 | かいがい kaigai | foreign; abroad; overseas |
| 海軍 | かいぐん kaigun | navy; naval force |
| 北海道 | ほっかいどう hokkaidou | Hokkaido (island, prefectural-level administrative unit) |
| 海上 | かいじょう kaijou | (on the) sea; surface of the sea |
| 海洋 | かいよう kaiyou | ocean; sea |
| 沿岸 | えんがん engan | coast; shore |
| 湾岸 | わんがん wangan | gulf coast; bay coast |
| 彼岸 | ひがん higan | equinoctial week (when Buddhist services are held) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “seashore”.
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.