渦 — “Whirlpool / Eddy / Vortex” in Japanese

Master (高手)か, うず

Radical ⽔ · radical 85 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Whirlpool / Eddy / Vortex” in Japanese is 渦, read ka, uzu (か, うず). It is a Jōyō kanji taught in Japanese secondary school (junior & senior high) — the 高手 · Master tier beyond the grade 1–6 Kyōiku set, and appears in words such as 渦巻き (whirlpool).

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What does 渦 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	渦
Meaning	Whirlpool / Eddy / Vortex
Readings	か, うず
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	渦巻き (whirlpool)

How to read 渦

渦 is read ka (か) or uzu (うず) depending on the word.

Words with 渦

渦巻き

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Updated: 2026-08-28