Tensei

Tensei is the romanization of the Japanese noun 転生, meaning reincarnation or rebirth. It is used in religious, philosophical, and literary contexts to describe the process by which a being is reborn into a new life, often within the framework of karma and samsara. In Japanese Buddhism, reincarnation is connected to the cycle of birth and death and the aim of escaping this cycle through enlightenment.

The word is formed from 転, meaning to turn or rotate, and 生, meaning life or birth. The kanji are read as tensei, the standard reading for this concept. The same romanization can correspond to different kanji with unrelated meanings, such as 天才 (tensai) meaning genius, so context is important to avoid confusion.

In popular culture, tensei is widely used as a plot device in isekai fiction, where a character dies or otherwise transmigrates to another world and is reborn or reincarnated, often with special abilities. This usage has shaped modern understanding of the term beyond traditional religious contexts and is a common shorthand for the broader trope of alternate-world rebirth.

Related terms include 輪廻転生 (rinne tensei) for the Buddhist concept of cyclical reincarnation and the broader concept of samsara. In literary and media contexts, tensei as a theme invites exploration of identity, fate, and adaptation when a character experiences life from a new perspective.