Japanese symbol for “metamorphosis”
変身
へんしん
Romaji: henshin
metamorphosis; disguise; transformation; shapeshifting
In Japanese, metamorphosis is 変身, read へんしん (henshin).
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 metamorphosis; disguise; transformation; shapeshifting; morphing
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “metamorphosis”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 変形 | へんけい henkei | transformation; variation; metamorphosis |
| 変態 | へんたい hentai | metamorphosis |
| 変成 | へんせい hensei | metamorphosis |
| メタモルフォーゼ | メタモルフォーゼ metamorufooze | metamorphosis |
| 化生 | かせい kasei | growth; metamorphosis |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 大変 | たいへん taihen | very; greatly; terribly |
| 変更 | へんこう henkou | change; modification; alteration |
| 変化 | へんか henka | change; variation; alteration |
| 変わる | かわる kawaru | to change; to be transformed; to be altered |
| 変動 | へんどう hendou | change; fluctuation |
| 自身 | じしん jishin | (one's) self; oneself; yourself |
| 出身 | しゅっしん shusshin | one's origin (e.g. city, country, parentage, school) |
| 中身 | なかみ nakami | contents; interior; filling |
See also: Chinese symbol for “metamorphosis”.
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.