Japanese symbol for “unfolding”
展開
てんかい
Romaji: tenkai
development; evolution; progression; unfolding
In Japanese, unfolding is 展開, read てんかい (tenkai).
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 development; evolution; progression; unfolding; (plot) twist
- n, vi, vs expansion; spreading out; extending; deployment; building up
- n, vi, vs expansion (of an algebraic expression) (math)
- n, vi, vs development (of a three-dimensional shape) (math)
- n, vi, vs extraction (of compressed data); decompression; unpacking (comp)
- n, vs, vt sharing (information) (bus)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “unfolding”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 発展 | はってん hatten | development (of a situation, story, etc.); advancement; progression |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 発展 | はってん hatten | development; growth; expansion |
| 展示 | てんじ tenji | exhibition; display |
| 展望 | てんぼう tenbou | view; outlook; prospect |
| 進展 | しんてん shinten | progress; development |
| 個展 | こてん koten | solo exhibition; one-man exhibition; one-woman exhibition |
| 開催 | かいさい kaisai | holding (a conference, exhibition, etc.); opening; hosting (e.g. the Olympics) |
| 公開 | こうかい koukai | opening to the public; making available to the public; exhibiting |
| 開発 | かいはつ kaihatsu | development; cultivation; application |
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.