King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “bending”

Romaji: kussetsu
bending; curving; twisting; turning

In Japanese, bending is , read (kussetsu).

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

  1. n, vi, vs bending; curving; twisting; turning; winding
  2. n, vi, vs warping (of feelings, logic, etc.); distortion; twisting
  3. n, vi, vs refraction
  4. n, vi, vs inflection (ling)

Kanji and stroke order

yield, bend, flinch
on: クツ
kun: かが.む、かが.める
8 strokes · JLPT 1
fold, break, fracture
on: セツ、シャク
kun: お.る、おり、お.り、-お.り
7 strokes · JLPT 2

Other Japanese words for “bending”

WordReadingMeaning
きょくせつ kyokusetsubending; winding; meandering
まげ mageflexure; bending
チョーキング chookingubending (a guitar string)
くっきょく kukkyokucrookedness; bending; indentation
ベンディング bendingubending

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
りくつ rikutsutheory; reason; logic
きゅうくつ kyuukutsunarrow; tight; cramped
たいくつ taikutsutedious; boring; dull
くつじょく kutsujokudisgrace; humiliation
くっし kusshileading; foremost; preeminent
ふくつ fukutsupersistence; fortitude; indomitability
こっせつ kossetsubone fracture
ときおり tokiorisometimes; at intervals; occasionally

See also: Chinese symbol for “bending”.

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.

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