Japanese symbol for “town”
町
まち
Romaji: machi
town; block; neighbourhood; neighborhood
In Japanese, town is 町, read まち (machi).
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 town; block; neighbourhood; neighborhood
- n downtown; main street
- n street; road
Written forms: 町、街. Readings: まち.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “town”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 都市 | とし toshi | town; city; municipal |
| タウン | タウン taun | town |
| 集落 | しゅうらく shuuraku | settlement; village; community |
| 市街 | しがい shigai | urban areas; the streets; town |
| 町内 | ちょうない chounai | neighborhood; neighbourhood; street |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 下町 | したまち shitamachi | low-lying part of a city (usu. containing shops, factories, etc.) |
| 市町村 | しちょうそん shichouson | cities, towns and villages; municipalities |
| 町中 | まちなか machinaka | downtown |
| 町並み | まちなみ machinami | townscape; street (of stores and houses); (look of) stores and houses on street |
| 町内 | ちょうない chounai | neighborhood; neighbourhood; street |
| 町長 | ちょうちょう chouchou | town mayor |
See also: Chinese symbol for “town”.
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.