Japanese symbol for “turning”
旋回
せんかい
Romaji: senkai
revolution; rotation; turning; circling
In Japanese, turning is 旋回, read せんかい (senkai).
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 revolution; rotation; turning; circling; swiveling
- n, vi, vs turning (an aircraft or ship)
Written forms: 旋回、旋廻. Readings: せんかい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “turning”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 屈折 | くっせつ kussetsu | bending; curving; twisting |
| 角 | かど kado | (street) corner; turning |
| ターニング | ターニング taaningu | turning; revolution; rotation |
| 旋削 | せんさく sensaku | turning (on a lathe) |
| 転回 | てんかい tenkai | turn; turning; U-turn |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 旋律 | せんりつ senritsu | melody; tune |
| 斡旋 | あっせん assen | good offices; kind offices; services |
| 螺旋 | らせん rasen | spiral; helix |
| 旋風 | せんぷう senpuu | whirlwind |
| 凱旋 | がいせん gaisen | triumphant return; returning in triumph |
| 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 |
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.