Japanese symbol for “orbiting”

周回

しゅうかい

Romaji: shuukai

going around; orbiting; circling

In Japanese, orbiting is 周回, read しゅうかい (shuukai).

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, vs going around; orbiting; circling
n circumference; girth; surroundings

Kanji and stroke order

周

circumference, circuit, lap

on: シュウ
kun: まわ.り

8 strokes · JLPT 2

回

-times, round, game

on: カイ、エ
kun: まわ.る、-まわ.る、-まわ.り、まわ.す

6 strokes · JLPT 3

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
周り	まわり mawari	circumference; girth
周辺	しゅうへん shuuhen	circumference; outskirts; environs
周囲	しゅうい shuui	surroundings; environs
一周	いっしゅう isshuu	one round; one circuit; one revolution
周期	しゅうき shuuki	cycle; period
周波数	しゅうはすう shuuhasuu	frequency (esp. of waveforms)
今回	こんかい konkai	this time; now
回復	かいふく kaifuku	restoration; recovery; rehabilitation

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.