The kanji 転 conveys the core meaning of "to turn," "to revolve," "to shift," or "to change." It implies a movement or alteration, often involving a change in position, direction, or state. This can range from physical rotation to a more abstract transition.

・On-yomi (音読み): テン (ten) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): ころ（がる） (koro(garu)) - to roll; ころ（ぶ） (koro(bu)) - to fall; まろ（ぶ） (maro(bu)) - to roll

⚫︎ 自転車（じてんしゃ）が転（ころ）んだ。 Translation: The bicycle fell over. ⚫︎ 方向（ほうこう）を転（か）える。 Translation: To change direction. ⚫︎ 転勤（てんきん）で東京（とうきょう）へ行（い）く。 Translation: I'm going to Tokyo due to a job transfer.

The kanji 転 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字). The left side is 車（くるま, kuruma) which means "wheel" or "vehicle," indicating the meaning. The right side is 專 (せん, sen) which represents the sound. Therefore, it combines a component that suggests meaning with one that indicates pronunciation. This combination visually links the idea of movement, change, and rotation to the concept of a wheel turning or a vehicle moving.