Japanese symbol for “twirl”
捻くる
ひねくる
Romaji: hinekuru
to twirl; to spin
In Japanese, twirl is 捻くる, read ひねくる (hinekuru).
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, vt to twirl; to spin
- v5r, vt to fiddle with; to change (e.g. wording)
Written forms: 捻くる、拈くる. Readings: ひねくる.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “twirl”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ひねくり回す | ひねくりまわす hinekurimawasu | to twist; to twirl |
| 眩く | くるめく kurumeku | to spin; to revolve; to twirl |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 捻挫 | ねんざ nenza | sprain; twist; wrench |
| 捻出 | ねんしゅつ nenshutsu | managing (to raise funds, find time, etc.); contriving; scraping together (money) |
| 捻る | ひねる hineru | to twist; to wrench; to turn (a tap, switch, etc.) |
| 捻り | ひねり hineri | twist; spin |
| 捻転 | ねんてん nenten | twisting; torsion |
| 腸捻転 | ちょうねんてん chounenten | volvulus; twisted loop in intestine |
See also: Chinese symbol for “twirl”.
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.