Japanese symbol for “vanguard”
先頭
せんとう
Romaji: sentou
head (of a line, group, etc.); front; lead; forefront
In Japanese, vanguard is 先頭, read せんとう (sentou).
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 head (of a line, group, etc.); front; lead; forefront; vanguard
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “vanguard”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 先陣 | せんじん senjin | vanguard; advance guard |
| 前衛 | ぜんえい zen'ei | advance guard; vanguard |
| 先端 | せんたん sentan | forefront; vanguard; spearhead |
| ヴァンガード | ヴァンガード vangaado | vanguard |
| 先鋒 | せんぽう senpou | advance guard; vanguard |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 先生 | せんせい sensei | teacher; instructor; master |
| 優先 | ゆうせん yuusen | preference; priority; precedence |
| 先輩 | せんぱい senpai | senior (at school, work, etc.); superior; elder |
| 先日 | せんじつ senjitsu | the other day; a few days ago |
| 先週 | せんしゅう senshuu | last week; the week before |
| 先月 | せんげつ sengetsu | last month |
| 冒頭 | ぼうとう boutou | beginning; opening; start |
| 頭痛 | ずつう zutsuu | headache |
See also: Chinese symbol for “vanguard”.
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.