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RIN
輪
wheel · ring
✎ Editor's glossa ring; a round thing — also "in turns"
Naruto · Dōjutsu · Kanji file 005
Rinnegan 輪廻眼
Pronounced rin·ne·gan
In Japan this word is known as rinne — or rinne tenshō, the endless rebirth of all living things. It comes from Buddhist teaching. Rinne is also tied to rikudō — the Six Paths, the six worlds after death — in the phrase rikudō rinne. Add 眼, the eye, and you have the Rinnegan. In Sha no Sho it is described as the most exalted of eyes — one that has mastered all five basic nature transformations of ninjutsu. And across Japanese fiction, the moment the word rinne appears in a name, you know you are looking at something top-class.
Straight from Buddhism
📖 Databook: Sha no Sho, p. 313
Speed
Breaking down the kanji
Here's what each character means — and how to write it. In Japan, following the correct stroke order is considered the key to writing kanji beautifully. Readings, stroke counts and core meanings below come directly from the KANJIDIC2 dictionary database. The red ✎ line is the editor's gloss — the meaning that is actually alive in this name, chosen by our editors from a Japanese kanji dictionary.
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KAI
廻
to revolve · to go around
✎ Editor's glossto go around; to circle
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GAN
眼
eye
✎ Editor's glossthe eye — the power to see through to the truth of things
What's next
Which term should we write next?
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Original artwork — free to save
The kanji, on one sheet
A reference card we drew ourselves — the characters in Japanese brush style.
Quick answers
FAQ
What does Rinnegan mean in Japanese?
輪廻 rinne is the Buddhist word for the endless cycle of rebirth; 眼 is the eye. The Rinnegan is, literally, “the eye of rinne.”
How do you pronounce Rinnegan?
Say it rin·ne·gan (輪廻眼). Japanese has no strong word stress: give each syllable about the same length and weight, and keep the vowels short and clear — a as in “father,” i as in “machine,” u as in “food,” e as in “met,” o as in “go.”
How do you write Rinnegan in Japanese?
輪廻眼 — 輪 (wheel) + 廻 (to revolve) + 眼 (eye).
How many strokes is 輪廻眼?
35 in total: 輪 is 15, 廻 is 9, 眼 is 11. The animation above draws every stroke in dictionary order.
What characters make up Rinnegan?
Rinnegan is written 輪廻眼: 輪 (wheel · ring); 廻 (to revolve · to go around); 眼 (eye). Readings and meanings come from the KANJIDIC2 dictionary database.
Can I use the copied kanji anywhere?
Yes — it's standard Unicode text and works on any modern OS. One caution before you print or ink it: make sure the font is a Japanese one. Some fonts render the same characters in Chinese style, and the difference shows.