Japanese word

回転

Pronunciation

Romajikaiten

Meaning

  • nounspin

Example

こまが回転します。ko ma ga kai ten shi ma su

The top spins.

Illustration for 回転 (spin)

More examples

扇風機の羽が回転すると、風が出ます。sen pū ki no hane ga kai ten su ru to kaze ga de ma su

When the fan blades spin, air comes out.

Core concept

Describes repeated circular movement around a fixed center or axis.

Common phrases

  • 回転するkai ten su ru

    spin

  • 回転し続けるkai ten shi tsuzu ke ru

    keep spinning

  • 回転を始めるkai ten o haji me ru

    start spinning

  • 回転を止めるkai ten o to me ru

    stop spinning

  • 回転の速さkai ten no haya sa

    speed of rotation

Similar words

旋回senkai: Circular movement around a point, often by a vehicle or aircraft.
自転jiten: Rotation of a body around its own axis.

Definition in Japanese

物体が中心や軸の周りを回ること。but tai ga chū shin ya jiku no mawa ri o mawa ru ko to

Word origin

回転 (kaiten) is a Sino-Japanese compound of 回 (kai, "turn") and 転 (ten, "turn over"), both related to turning.

Usage tips

  • A washing machine's spin cycle uses rapid rotation to remove water from clothes, giving spin a common everyday context.

Other meanings

  • rotationnoun
  • revolutionnoun
  • turnnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 回転式kaitenshikirotarypre-noun adjectival
  • 回転率kaitenritsurotation ratenoun

Word lists with this word