Japanese symbol for “steamboat”
汽船
きせん
Romaji: kisen
steamship; steamboat; steamer
In Japanese, steamboat is 汽船, read きせん (kisen).
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 steamship; steamboat; steamer
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “steamboat”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 蒸気 | じょうき jouki | steamboat; steam locomotive |
| 蒸気船 | じょうきせん joukisen | steamship; steamboat; steamer |
| 火船 | かせん kasen | steamship (esp. a paddle steamer); steamboat |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 汽車 | きしゃ kisha | steam locomotive; steam train |
| 汽笛 | きてき kiteki | steam whistle |
| 汽水 | きすい kisui | brackish water |
| 夜汽車 | よぎしゃ yogisha | night train |
| 汽車賃 | きしゃちん kishachin | train fare |
| 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 |
See also: Chinese symbol for “steamboat”.
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.