Japanese symbol for “supplant”

取って代わる

とってかわる

Romaji: tottekawaru

to supplant; to supersede; to replace; to take the place of

In Japanese, supplant is 取って代わる, read とってかわる (tottekawaru).

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 supplant; to supersede; to replace; to take the place of

Written forms: 取って代わる、とって代わる. Readings: とってかわる.

Kanji and stroke order

取

take, fetch, take up

on: シュ
kun: と.る、と.り、と.り-、とり

8 strokes · JLPT 2

代

substitute, change, convert

on: ダイ、タイ
kun: か.わる、かわ.る、かわ.り、か.わり

5 strokes · JLPT 3

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
取引	とりひき torihiki	transactions; dealings; business
買取	かいとり kaitori	purchase; buying; buying out
取得	しゅとく shutoku	obtaining (a qualification, right, object, etc.); acquisition (of land, property, etc.); gaining possession (of)
取る	とる toru	to take; to pick up; to grab
取材	しゅざい shuzai	gathering material (for an article, novel, etc.); collecting information; covering (an event, incident, etc.)
取締役	とりしまりやく torishimariyaku	company director; board member
時代	じだい jidai	period; epoch; era
代表	だいひょう daihyou	representation; representative; delegate

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.