How to say "turning" in Japanese

• 旋回せんかいCommon
  noun, suru verb, intransitive verbTurning as smooth circular motion: a plane, ship, or vehicle circling or wheeling around. Think of an aircraft banking through a wide turn rather than a car cornering.
  タカは空そらを旋回せんかいした。↗

  The hawk circled round in the sky.
• 屈折くっせつJLPT N1approx.Common
  noun, suru verb, intransitive verbReally bending or curving — light refracting, a line or road bending — rather than turning; for the act of making a turn it is seldom the word you want.
• 角かどJLPT N5approx.Common
  nounThe turning as a street corner: the actual spot where a road turns. Use it when giving directions or saying which corner to turn at, as in 'the second turning'.
  次つぎの角かどで右みぎに曲まがりなさい。↗

  Turn right at the next corner.
• 転回てんかいJLPT N1approx.Common
  noun, suru verb, transitive verb, intransitive verbTurning as a reversal of direction: a vehicle or ship making a U-turn or turning back on its course. It suggests a change of heading rather than gentle circling.

Choose 旋回 for circling motion of planes or ships, 屈折 for bending or curving (rarely 'turning'), 角 for a street corner, and 転回 for a turn or reversal of direction such as a U-turn.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• 旋回せんかいrevolution
• 屈折くっせつbending
• ターニングturning
• 旋削せんさくturning (on a lathe)
• 回頭かいとうchanging course (of a ship or aircraft)
• 転折てんせつchanging direction (esp. of a ship)
• 角かど(street) corner
• 転回てんかいturn