Japanese symbol for “world”
世界
せかい
Romaji: sekai
the world; society; the universe
In Japanese, world is 世界, read せかい (sekai).
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 the world; society; the universe
- n sphere; circle; world
- adj-no world-renowned; world-famous
- n realm governed by one Buddha; space (Buddh)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “world”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 世 | よ yo | world; society; public |
| 世間 | せけん seken | world; society; people |
| 社会 | しゃかい shakai | society; public; community |
| 世の中 | よのなか yononaka | society; the world; the times |
| 人間 | じんかん jinkan | the world |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 世代 | せだい sedai | generation |
| 世紀 | せいき seiki | century |
| 世の中 | よのなか yononaka | society; the world; the times |
| 世間 | せけん seken | world; society; people |
| 世帯 | せたい setai | household; family |
| 業界 | ぎょうかい gyoukai | business world; business circles; (the) industry |
| 限界 | げんかい genkai | limit; bound |
| 境界 | きょうかい kyoukai | boundary; border; limit |
See also: Chinese symbol for “world”.
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.