Japanese symbol for “alternation”
交代
こうたい
Romaji: koutai
change; alternation; rotation; replacement
In Japanese, alternation is 交代, read こうたい (koutai).
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, vi, vs change; alternation; rotation; replacement; substitution; shift
Written forms: 交代、交替. Readings: こうたい、こうだい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “alternation”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 交番 | こうばん kouban | alternation |
| 互生 | ごせい gosei | alternation (in phyllotaxis); alternate arrangement |
| 互い違い | たがいちがい tagaichigai | alternate; alternation |
| 打って替え | うってがえ uttegae | change; alternation; shift |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 交換 | こうかん koukan | exchange; interchange; switching |
| 交通 | こうつう koutsuu | traffic; transportation |
| 交渉 | こうしょう koushou | negotiations; bargaining; discussions |
| 交流 | こうりゅう kouryuu | exchange (e.g. cultural); interchange; interaction |
| 外交 | がいこう gaikou | diplomacy |
| 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 |
See also: Chinese symbol for “alternation”.
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.