Japanese symbol for “tributary”
支流
しりゅう
Romaji: shiryuu
tributary; branch
In Japanese, tributary is 支流, read しりゅう (shiryuu).
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 tributary; branch
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “tributary”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 分流 | ぶんりゅう bunryuu | distributary; tributary; branched flow (river, current, etc.) |
| 傍流 | ぼうりゅう bouryuu | branch (of a river); tributary |
| 分脈 | ぶんみゃく bunmyaku | branch; offshoot; tributary |
| 貢献者 | こうけんしゃ koukensha | tributary (person) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 支払い | しはらい shiharai | payment |
| 支援 | しえん shien | support; backing; aid |
| 支持 | しじ shiji | support; backing; endorsement |
| 支配 | しはい shihai | rule; domination; control |
| 支店 | してん shiten | branch office; branch store |
| 支払う | しはらう shiharau | to pay |
| 流れ | ながれ nagare | flow (of a fluid or gas); stream; current |
| 交流 | こうりゅう kouryuu | exchange (e.g. cultural); interchange; interaction |
See also: Chinese symbol for “tributary”.
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.