Japanese symbol for “revolve”
回る
まわる
Romaji: mawaru
to turn; to rotate; to revolve; to spin
In Japanese, revolve is 回る, read まわる (mawaru).
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
- v5r, vi to turn; to rotate; to revolve; to spin
- v5r, vi to go around; to circle; to revolve around; to orbit
- v5r, vi to make the rounds (of); to go around (several places); to travel around; to make a tour of; to patrol
- v5r, vi to go by way of; to go via; to stop by (on the way); to take a roundabout route; to make a detour
- v5r, vi to move around (to another place or position); to come around; to go over (e.g. to the opposing side)
- v5r, vi to come around (of one's turn); to be passed around (of a cup, circular, etc.)
Written forms: 回る、廻る、周る. Readings: まわる.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “revolve”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 眩く | くるめく kurumeku | to spin; to revolve; to twirl |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 今回 | こんかい konkai | this time; now |
| 回復 | かいふく kaifuku | restoration; recovery; rehabilitation |
| 前回 | ぜんかい zenkai | previous time; last time; previous installment |
| 回答 | かいとう kaitou | reply; answer |
| 回収 | かいしゅう kaishuu | collection; recovery; withdrawal |
| 回転 | かいてん kaiten | rotation; revolution; turn |
See also: Chinese symbol for “revolve”.
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.