Japanese symbol for “circle”
輪
わ
Romaji: wa
ring; circle; loop
In Japanese, circle is 輪, read わ (wa).
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 ring; circle; loop
- n hoop
- n wheel
- n circle (e.g. of friends)
- n planetary ring (astron)
Written forms: 輪、環. Readings: わ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “circle”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 円 | えん en | circle |
| 丸 | まる maru | circle |
| ○ | まる maru | circle |
| 円形 | えんけい enkei | round shape; circle; circular form |
| 世界 | せかい sekai | sphere; circle; world |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 指輪 | ゆびわ yubiwa | (finger) ring |
| 五輪 | ごりん gorin | Olympic Games; Olympics |
| 車輪 | しゃりん sharin | (vehicle) wheel |
| 輪郭 | りんかく rinkaku | contour; outline; silhouette |
| 競輪 | けいりん keirin | keirin; cycle racing event, usu. 2 km with a paced start and sprint finish |
| 年輪 | ねんりん nenrin | annual tree ring; growth ring |
See also: Chinese symbol for “circle”.
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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