Japanese symbol for “tohoku”
東北
とうほく
Romaji: touhoku
north-east
In Japanese, tohoku is 東北, read とうほく (touhoku).
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 north-east
- n Tōhoku (northernmost six prefectures of Honshu); Tohoku
Written forms: 東北. Readings: とうほく、ひがしきた.
Kanji and stroke order
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 東京 | とうきょう toukyou | Tokyo |
| 東西 | とうざい touzai | east and west |
| 東洋 | とうよう touyou | the East; the Orient; (East) Asia |
| 東部 | とうぶ toubu | eastern part; the east (of a region) |
| 北東 | ほくとう hokutou | northeast |
| 北部 | ほくぶ hokubu | northern part; the north (of a region) |
| 北海道 | ほっかいどう hokkaidou | Hokkaido (island, prefectural-level administrative unit) |
| 敗北 | はいぼく haiboku | defeat; loss; reverse |
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.