旋回・旋廻|せんかいsenkai[0]heiban (flat)
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Which spelling to use
旋回旋回 is the more common written form and the appropriate default choice for learners writing this word.
旋廻旋廻 is a rarely used written variant of 旋回; learners will seldom need to choose it.
Definitions
- noun, suru verb, intransitive verbrevolution; rotation; turning; circling; swivelingタカは空を旋回した。↗The hawk circled round in the sky.
- noun, suru verb, intransitive verbturning (an aircraft or ship)
Conjugation
| Dictionary form | 旋回する（せんかいする） |
|---|---|
| Polite (masu) | 旋回します（せんかいします） |
| Negative (nai) | 旋回しない（せんかいしない） |
| polite (masen) | 旋回しません（せんかいしません） |
| classical zu / nu | 旋回せず・旋回せぬ（せんかいせず・せんかいせぬ） |
| Past (ta) | 旋回した（せんかいした） |
| polite (mashita) | 旋回しました（せんかいしました） |
| Past negative (nakatta) | 旋回しなかった（せんかいしなかった） |
| polite (masen deshita) | 旋回しませんでした（せんかいしませんでした） |
| Te form | 旋回して（せんかいして） |
| Potential | 旋回できる（せんかいできる） |
| Passive | 旋回される（せんかいされる） |
| Causative | 旋回させる（せんかいさせる） |
| Causative passive | 旋回させられる（せんかいさせられる） |
| Conditional (ba) | 旋回すれば（せんかいすれば） |
| tara | 旋回したら（せんかいしたら） |
| Volitional | 旋回しよう（せんかいしよう） |
| polite (mashou) | 旋回しましょう（せんかいしましょう） |
| Imperative | 旋回しろ（せんかいしろ） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonym回転かいてんNeutralThe most versatile word for rotation and spinning, also covering funds turning over and a quick mind; 「旋回」 is for aircraft and ships circling.
- Synonym転回てんかいNeutralTurning or reversing direction, as in 「Uターン」, or rotating; stresses the change of direction, while 「旋回」 stresses the circle.
- SynonymターンNeutralLoanword for turning around and for whose turn it is; colloquial, common in swimming and dance.
- SynonymスピンNeutralLoanword for spin: rotation on an axis, a spinning ball in tennis or table tennis, or spin in politics and PR.
- Synonym回るまわるNeutralSame word as 「巡る」; also covers discussion around an issue, as in 「をめぐる議論」.
- Synonym回りまわりNeutralNoun for turning or making the rounds; also one's surroundings, as in 「身の回り」.
- Synonym旋転せんてんWrittenWritten-style word for whirling or rotating, rare even in formal prose; focuses on the turning itself.
- Synonym回旋かいせんWrittenWritten word for wheeling and circling, close to 「旋回」; also appears in fields like sports and medicine.
- Synonym回転運動かいてんうんどうWrittenRotational motion; an explanatory physics term, at home in written prose.
- RelatedめぐるNeutralVerb for going round something or touring places; stresses circling something, also used for seasons coming round again.
- Related回るまわるNeutralSame word as 「巡る」; also covers discussion around an issue, as in 「をめぐる議論」.
- Related循環じゅんかんNeutralCirculation in the sense of going round and starting over, as in 「血液循環」.
- Related一周いっしゅうNeutralOne lap or circuit; stresses completing a full round, as in 「グラウンド一周」.
- Related回すまわすNeutralThe everyday verb for turning something or passing it round, as in 「ハンドルを回す」; very common in speech.
- Related自転じてんWrittenRotation about one's own axis, of an object or celestial body; 「旋回」 is movement in a circle.
- Related廻るみるNeutralAnother way of writing 「巡る」; used for blood or money flowing round, stressing circulation.
- Related輪転りんてんWrittenA wheel turning, or rotation in circles; common in 「輪転機」 (rotary press). 「旋回」 is about circling in the air or at sea.
- Related巡らすめぐらすNeutralTransitive verb for surrounding something or turning (one's head); also means thinking over or scheming.
- Related巡りめぐりNeutralNoun for touring or circulation, as in 「名所巡り」 (a tour of famous sights).
- Related公転こうてんWrittenRevolution of one celestial body around another; an astronomy term in written style.
- Related周回しゅうかいNeutralCircling round, often on a racetrack or in orbit, as in 「周回遅れ」 (a lap behind).
- Antonym直進ちょくしんNeutralGoing straight ahead; the opposite of 「旋回」, which is all about turning and circling.
Use 「旋回」 for aircraft or ships turning in a circle and for birds wheeling overhead, as in 「上空を旋回する」 or 「右旋回」. For rotation in general say 「回転」, for turning around say 「転回」, and for one full lap say 「一周」. The opposite of 「旋回」 is 「直進」, going straight ahead.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese definitions
Kanji in this word
English equivalents
