Japanese symbol for “tide”
潮
しお
Romaji: shio
tide; current
In Japanese, tide is 潮, read しお (shio).
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 tide; current
- n sea water
- n opportunity; chance
Written forms: 潮、汐. Readings: しお.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “tide”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 風潮 | ふうちょう fuuchou | tide; current |
| 潮流 | ちょうりゅう chouryuu | tide; tidal current |
| 流れ | ながれ nagare | flow (of people, things); passage (of time); tide |
| 大勢 | たいせい taisei | general situation; general trend; general tendency |
| 行方 | ゆくえ yukue | outcome; course (of events); development |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 風潮 | ふうちょう fuuchou | tide; current |
| 潮流 | ちょうりゅう chouryuu | tide; tidal current |
| 潮時 | しおどき shiodoki | tidal hour |
| 満潮 | まんちょう manchou | high tide; high water; full tide |
| 黒潮 | くろしお kuroshio | Kuroshio Current; Japan Current |
| 最高潮 | さいこうちょう saikouchou | climax; peak; zenith |
See also: Chinese symbol for “tide”.
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.