King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “spin”

Romaji: kaiten
rotation; revolution; turn; spin

In Japanese, spin is , read (kaiten).

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. n, vi, vs rotation; revolution; turn; spin
  2. n, vi, vs working (e.g. of one's mind); function
  3. n, vi, vs turnover (of goods, funds, etc.); circulation; flow (of customers)
  4. n, vi, vs rotation; curl (math)
  5. n slalom (ski)

Written forms: . Readings: .

Kanji and stroke order

-times, round, game
on: カイ、エ
kun: まわ.る、-まわ.る、-まわ.り、まわ.す
6 strokes · JLPT 3
revolve, turn around, change
on: テン
kun: ころ.がる、ころ.げる、ころ.がす、ころ.ぶ
11 strokes · JLPT 3

Other Japanese words for “spin”

WordReadingMeaning
まわす mawasuto turn; to rotate; to spin
まわる mawaruto turn; to rotate; to revolve
つむぐ tsumuguto spin; to make yarn
スピン supinspin; rotation
くる kuruto reel; to wind; to spin (thread)

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
こんかい konkaithis time; now
かいふく kaifukurestoration; recovery; rehabilitation
ぜんかい zenkaiprevious time; last time; previous installment
かいとう kaitoureply; answer
かいしゅう kaishuucollection; recovery; withdrawal
うんてん untenoperation (of a machine); running; working
じてんしゃ jitenshabicycle; bike
いてん itenmoving; relocation; change of address

See also: Chinese symbol for “spin”.

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.

Last posts

  1. Red Oak vs White Oak for Bokken Which Wood Wins
  2. Best Bokken for Beginners: Choosing Your First Training Sword
  3. Best Escrima Sticks for Students Choosing Your First Pair
  4. Essential Accessories for Your First Pair of Escrima Sticks
  5. Best Escrima Sticks for Your First Seminar
  6. Best Canes for Cane-Fu and Hapkido Training
  7. Which Rattan Sticks Have the Most Nodes for Durability
  8. Choosing Filipino Martial Arts Sticks for Double Work
  9. Choosing a Cane for Self-Defense Class Training
  10. Are Hollow Plastic Sticks Too Light for Proper Technique