Japanese symbol for “reincarnation”
転生
てんせい
Romaji: tensei
reincarnation; rebirth; transmigration; metempsychosis
In Japanese, reincarnation is 転生, read てんせい (tensei).
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 reincarnation; rebirth; transmigration; metempsychosis
Written forms: 転生. Readings: てんせい、てんしょう.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “reincarnation”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 再生 | さいせい saisei | rebirth; reincarnation |
| 生まれ変わり | うまれかわり umarekawari | rebirth; reincarnation |
| 再来 | さいらい sairai | second coming (e.g. of Christ); second advent; reincarnation |
| 輪廻 | りんね rinne | being reborn; reincarnation |
| 再誕 | さいたん saitan | rebirth; reincarnation |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 運転 | うんてん unten | operation (of a machine); running; working |
| 自転車 | じてんしゃ jitensha | bicycle; bike |
| 回転 | かいてん kaiten | rotation; revolution; turn |
| 移転 | いてん iten | moving; relocation; change of address |
| 逆転 | ぎゃくてん gyakuten | reversal (of a situation); turnaround; turnabout |
| 転換 | てんかん tenkan | conversion; diversion; changeover |
| 生活 | せいかつ seikatsu | life; living |
| 先生 | せんせい sensei | teacher; instructor; master |
See also: Chinese symbol for “reincarnation”.
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.