Japanese symbol for “alternately”
代わる代わる
かわるがわる
Romaji: kawarugawaru
alternately; by turns
In Japanese, alternately is 代わる代わる, read かわるがわる (kawarugawaru).
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
- adv alternately; by turns
Written forms: 代わる代わる、代る代る. Readings: かわるがわる.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “alternately”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 一つ置きに | ひとつおきに hitotsuokini | alternately |
| 交代で | こうたいで koutaide | alternately; by turns |
| 代わり代わり | かわりがわり kawarigawari | alternately; in turn; one after the other |
| 交々 | こもごも komogomo | alternately; in succession |
| 交互に | こうごに kougoni | alternately; by turns; one after the other |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 時代 | じだい jidai | period; epoch; era |
| 代表 | だいひょう daihyou | representation; representative; delegate |
| 現代 | げんだい gendai | present age; present day; contemporary |
| 代わり | かわり kawari | substitute; replacement; substituting |
| 世代 | せだい sedai | generation |
| 年代 | ねんだい nendai | age; era; period |
See also: Chinese symbol for “alternately”.
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.