King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “renew”

Romaji: kirikaeru
to change; to switch; to change over (to); to renew

In Japanese, renew is , read (kirikaeru).

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

  1. v1, vt to change; to switch; to change over (to); to renew

Written forms: . Readings: .

Kanji and stroke order

cut, cutoff, be sharp
on: セツ、サイ
kun: き.る、-き.る、き.り、-き.り
4 strokes · JLPT 3
exchange, spare, substitute
on: タイ
kun: か.える、か.え-、か.わる
12 strokes · JLPT 2

Other Japanese words for “renew”

WordReadingMeaning
かきかえる kakikaeruto rewrite; to overwrite; to renew
はりかえる harikaeruto re-cover; to reupholster; to repaper
かえる kaeruto exchange; to interchange; to renew
あたためる atatameruto renew (an old friendship)
つけかえる tsukekaeruto replace; to change (for a new one); to renew

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
たいせつ taisetsuimportant; significant; serious
いっさい issaiall; everything; entirety
てきせつ tekisetsuappropriate; suitable; fitting
きり kiriend; finish; place to stop
きる kiruto cut; to cut through; to perform (surgery)
しんせつ shinsetsukind; gentle; considerate
かわせ kawasemoney order; draft
だいたい daitaisubstitution

See also: Chinese symbol for “renew”.

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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