How to Write 旋 (xuán) — Meaning “to revolve, to rotate”

Imagine a spinning flag (方) being twisted into a spiral shape by a rotating screw. The right part resembles a screw or spiral, reminding you that 旋 means 'to rotate' or 'to spin'.

Write the left radical 方 first, with the horizontal stroke slightly rising and the left-falling stroke descending below the horizontal. The right side starts with a sweeping stroke, then a vertical hook, and finally two side strokes — avoid making the right side too wide, as 旋 should be balanced and compact.

旋 has the radical 方 and means 'revolve', while 施 also has 方 but with a different right side (㐋/也) and means 'to carry out' or 'to apply'. 斿 is rare and usually means 'to wander' or 'a streamer on a flag', with a similar left radical but a different right component; focus on the right side shape and meaning to tell them apart.

旋 is common in technical and everyday words like 旋转 (rotation) for objects spinning, 螺旋 (spiral) for screw threads or coils, and 旋床 (lathe) in machining. Culturally, '旋转' appears in dance, physics, and machinery contexts, and a common phrase '回旋' means to circle back.

Common words containing 旋 include: 旋转 (xuán zhuǎn) — to rotate, to spin; 螺旋 (luó xuán) — Spiral; screw; 旋床 (xuán chuáng) — Lathe (a machine tool)..