Japanese symbol for “traction”
牽引
けんいん
Romaji: ken'in
traction; towing; hauling; pulling
In Japanese, traction is 牽引, read けんいん (ken'in).
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, vs, vt traction; towing; hauling; pulling; drawing
- n, vs, vt driving (e.g. economic growth)
Written forms: 牽引、けん引. Readings: けんいん、けんびき.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “traction”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| トラクション | トラクション torakushon | traction |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 牽制 | けんせい kensei | check; keeping in check; restraint |
| 牽強付会 | けんきょうふかい kenkyoufukai | strained (argument, interpretation, etc.); farfetched (theory, view, etc.); forced |
| 牽牛 | けんぎゅう kengyuu | Altair (star in the constellation Aquila); Alpha Aquilae |
| 牽引車 | けんいんしゃ ken'insha | tractor; towing vehicle |
| 牽引力 | けんいんりょく ken'inryoku | pulling power |
| 取引 | とりひき torihiki | transactions; dealings; business |
| 引退 | いんたい intai | retirement |
| 割引 | わりびき waribiki | discount; reduction; rebate |
See also: Chinese symbol for “traction”.
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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