転 means “revolve, tumble”

てん · ten

Also: turn around, change

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

ころがる, ころげる, ころがす, ころぶ, まろぶ

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

テン

JLPT N4 · Taught in grade 3 · 11 strokes

The story

A cart (車) wheel rolling on and on: turning, tumbling, changing direction. Bicycles turn themselves in 自転車, and the proverb smiles: 七転び八起き (fall seven times, rise eight).

Used in 自転車 (jitensha, bicycle), 運転 (unten, driving), and 転ぶ (korobu, to fall down)

Words with 転

• 自転車 (じてんしゃ, jitensha): bicycle

More from Motion & Change

• 起 wake
• 去 leave
• 注 pour
• 自 oneself
• 回 times
• 動 move
• 集 gather
• 別 separate
• 引 pull
• 使 use
• 始 begin
• 終 end

Learn 転 and more kanji free on Fuji Learning · All kanji

Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.