Japanese symbol for “west”
西
にし
Romaji: nishi
west
In Japanese, west is 西, read にし (nishi).
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 west
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “west”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 西洋 | せいよう seiyou | the West; the Occident; Western countries |
| 西部 | せいぶ seibu | western part; the west (of a region) |
| 西欧 | せいおう seiou | the West; the Occident; Europe |
| 欧米 | おうべい oubei | Europe and the United States; Europe and America; the West |
| ウエスト | ウエスト uesuto | west |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 東西 | とうざい touzai | east and west |
| 西洋 | せいよう seiyou | the West; the Occident; Western countries |
| 関西 | かんさい kansai | Kansai (region comprising Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe and surrounding prefectures) |
| 西部 | せいぶ seibu | western part; the west (of a region) |
| 南西 | なんせい nansei | southwest |
| 北西 | ほくせい hokusei | northwest |
See also: Chinese symbol for “west”.
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.