転 — “to roll / to turn” in Japanese

Grade 3てん, ころ

Radical ⾞ · radical 159 The building block this kanji is filed under

“to roll / to turn” in Japanese is 転, read ten, koro (てん, ころ). It is a Grade 3 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 3 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 運転 (driving).

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What does 転 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	転
Meaning	to roll / to turn
Readings	てん, ころ
Grade	Grade 3 (Medium)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	運転 (driving)

How to read 転

転 is read ten (てん) or koro (ころ) depending on the word.

Words with 転

運転うんてん
逆転ぎゃくてん
自転車じてんしゃ

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Kanji read the same way as 転

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

Read this character in a real sentence

Updated: 2026-08-28