How do you say "customs" in Japanese?

税関

zeikan

Noun Kanji

In Japanese, "customs" is 税関 (zeikan).

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Pronunciation

Zeh-ee-kahn, three syllables with a long 'ei' vowel first, then a firm nasal 'kan' to close it.

Writing and usage

税関 is written using kanji. It's a noun, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.

Example sentence

空港の税関を通過しました。

kuukou no zeikan wo tsuuka shimashita.

We passed through customs at the airport.

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How to remember 税関

Zeikan starts with 'zei', which also means tax — customs is where they check your bags and sometimes charge you tax.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

Questions about 税関

How do you pronounce 税関?

Zeh-ee-kahn, three syllables with a long 'ei' vowel first, then a firm nasal 'kan' to close it.

Is 税関 formal or casual?

税関 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.

How is 税関 written in Japanese?

税関 is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as zeikan.

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Customs" in other languages

Curated by Callan Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Japanese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

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