Akanthou (Greek: Ακανθού, pronounced [a̠ka̠nˈθu]; Turkish: Tatlısu) is a village on the northern coast of Cyprus.

The name Akanthou, according to local tradition, comes from the name of a thorny bush present in the area, which is said to have provided protection for a beautiful woman, Anthousa, whom the Arab sailors tried to take captive.

Around 2,000,000 halloumis were produced each year in the caves around the village and exported to cities abroad such as Smyrna, Port Said and Alexandria.

The rest of the village was repopulated by Turkish farmers who were settled from areas such as Konya, Adana, Araklı, Osmaniye, Çaykara, Kahramanmaraş and Gaziantep.

In the 21st century, following the construction boom in Northern Cyprus, a number of Turkish Cypriots and Europeans bought real estate in the village.