Translation guide
The English word "rotation" covers several distinct concepts in Japanese. The most common meanings relate to physical turning, job cycling, and crop rotation. This guide breaks down the main uses and provides natural Japanese equivalents.
Describing something turning around an axis or center point.
General term for rotation, revolution, or spinning. Used for wheels, gears, planets, etc.
The Earth's rotation takes 24 hours.
The rotation of the tires sped up.
Specifically refers to rotation around an object's own axis (e.g., Earth's rotation).
The Earth's rotation goes from west to east.
Nominalized form of 'to turn something'. Used when emphasizing the action of rotating an object.
Turning the steering wheel changes the car's direction.
Referring to a system where things take turns or are regularly replaced.
Used for people taking turns, shift changes, or alternating roles.
We operate 24 hours with a rotation system.
Loanword from English, commonly used in business, sports, and daily life for scheduled rotation.
Implies a cycle or circulation, often used for natural cycles or resource cycling.
Agricultural practice of growing different crops in sequence.
Standard term for crop rotation in agriculture.
Crop rotation prevents soil exhaustion.
Using the loanword for a more casual or modern context.
We tried changing the crop rotation this year.
Geometric transformation around a point.
Same word as physical rotation, used in math contexts.
Rotate the figure 90 degrees.
Moving employees between different roles or departments.
Common business term, often abbreviated as ジョブローテ.
Experience various departments through job rotation.
General term for personnel transfers, which often implies rotation.
While 回転 (かいてん) works for physical turning, using it for concepts like job rotation or crop rotation can sound unnatural. Use the specific terms provided.
回転 is general rotation; 自転 specifically means rotation around one's own axis. For planets, 自転 is rotation (day), while 公転 (こうてん) is revolution (year).
The coach decides the rotation of players.
We set up a staff rotation.
The pitcher rotation fell apart.
栄養素の循環が生態系を支えている。
The rotation of nutrients supports the ecosystem.
Regular personnel rotation improves employee skills.