Japanese symbol for “mutation”
変化
へんか
Romaji: henka
change; variation; alteration; mutation
In Japanese, mutation is 変化, read へんか (henka).
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; variation; alteration; mutation; transition; transformation
- n variety; diversity
- n, vi, vs inflection; declension; conjugation (gramm)
- n, vi, vs henka; evasive sidestep at the beginning of a bout (sumo)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “mutation”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 突然変異 | とつぜんへんい totsuzenhen'i | mutation |
| 変転 | へんてん henten | mutation; change; transition |
| 変異 | へんい hen'i | mutation |
| 変移 | へんい hen'i | change; alteration; transmutation |
| 転変 | てんぺん tenpen | mutation; change; vicissitude |
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 |
| 変わる | かわる kawaru | to change; to be transformed; to be altered |
| 変動 | へんどう hendou | change; fluctuation |
| 変身 | へんしん henshin | metamorphosis; disguise; transformation |
| 文化 | ぶんか bunka | culture; civilization; civilisation |
| 強化 | きょうか kyouka | strengthening; intensifying; reinforcement |
| 悪化 | あっか akka | deterioration; getting worse; worsening |
See also: Chinese symbol for “mutation”.
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.