Japanese symbol for “transition”
移行
いこう
Romaji: ikou
transition; changeover; switchover; shift
In Japanese, transition is 移行, read いこう (ikou).
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, vi, vs transition; changeover; switchover; shift
- n, vi, vs transfer (of powers, weight, etc.); shift (e.g. of centre of gravity)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “transition”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 変化 | へんか henka | change; variation; alteration |
| 推移 | すいい suii | transition; change; progress |
| 変遷 | へんせん hensen | change; transition; vicissitudes |
| 転移 | てんい ten'i | moving (location, with the times, etc.); change; transition |
| 変わり目 | かわりめ kawarime | turning point; change; transition |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 移動 | いどう idou | movement; transfer; migration |
| 移植 | いしょく ishoku | transplanting (a plant); transplant; grafting |
| 移転 | いてん iten | moving; relocation; change of address |
| 移民 | いみん imin | immigration; emigration |
| 移住 | いじゅう ijuu | migration; move; emigration |
| 行動 | こうどう koudou | action; conduct; behaviour |
| 行う | おこなう okonau | to perform; to do; to conduct oneself |
| 銀行 | ぎんこう ginkou | bank; banking institution |
See also: Chinese symbol for “transition”.
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.