転 — how to write the kanji for “revolve”

転 means “revolve”, “turn around” and “change”; it is a JLPT N4 kanji, taught in third grade in Japan. In newspapers it is the 327th most used kanji. KANJIDIC2 gives it 1 on reading and 8 kun readings, so the word decides how you say it. Its parts sit side by side: 車 (“car”, its radical), strokes 1–7; 云 (“say”), strokes 8–11, each finished before the next. Its common words take the reading ten: 転換 (“conversion”), 運転 (“operation”), 逆転 (“reversal”) and 移転 (“moving”).

Strokes: 11
JLPT: N4
Radical: 車 (“car”)
On: テン
Kun: ころ·がる, ころ·げる, ころ·がす

Stroke by stroke

Horizontal ㇐top leftrightwards
Vertical ㇑leftdownwards
Horizontal-turn ㇕leftrightwards → downwards
Horizontal ㇐leftrightwards
Horizontal ㇐leftrightwards
Horizontal ㇐bottom leftrightwards
Vertical ㇑top leftdownwards
Horizontal ㇐toprightwards
Horizontal ㇐centerrightwards
Left-falling-turn ㇜rightdownwards → rightwards
Dot ㇔bottom rightdown and right

Trace it

Follow the numbers. Tracing help

Readings

On (Chinese-derived): テン ten
Kun (native): ころ·がる koro-garu, ころ·げる koro-geru (rare), ころ·がす koro-gasu (rare), ころ·ぶ koro-bu (rare), まろ·ぶ maro-bu (rare), うたた utata (rare), うつ·る utsu-ru (rare), くる·めく kuru-meku (rare)
Meanings: revolve; turn around; change
Read ten: 転換運転逆転移転自転車運転手
School year: third grade
Newspaper rank: 327th of 2,500 (KANJIDIC2)
Korean hanja: 전 jeon
Common words: 43 in JMdict

On and kun, explained

Words with 転

Word	Reading	Meaning
転換	てんかん tenkan	conversion; diversion
運転	うんてん unten	operation; running
逆転	ぎゃくてん gyakuten	reversal; turnaround
移転	いてん iten	moving; relocation
自転車	じてんしゃ jitensha	bicycle; bike
運転手	うんてんしゅ untenshu	driver; chauffeur
回転	かいてん kaiten	rotation; revolution
逆転勝ち	ぎゃくてんがち gyakutengachi	comeback victory; comeback
転勤	てんきん tenkin	job transfer; job relocation
転職	てんしょく tenshoku	change of job; change of occupation

Most common first (JMdict).

Practice sheet

Print at 100%. Several kanji: worksheet maker.

Keep going

Same parts:

JLPT N4, in list order: