Japanese word of the day: 周り (Mawari)

What does 周り(Mawari) mean?

周り (Mawari) (noun) – Around, circumference, surroundings, neighborhood, vicinity, or the people around you. This word is used to refer to the area or people immediately surrounding something or someone, or to describe the perimeter or girth of an object.

Kanji details for 周

Character: 周 — circumference, circuit, lap
Radical: mouth, opening 口

Example sentences with 周り(Mawari)

• 僕は周りを見回した。
  (Boku wa mawari o mimawashita.)
  👀 I looked around me.

• その池の周りを歩きました。
  (Sono ike no mawari o arukimashita.)
  🚶‍♂️ I walked around the pond.

• 彼女は周りの人々に大きな影響を及ぼした。
  (Kanojo wa mawari no hitobito ni ōkina eikyō o oyoboshita.)
  🌟 She had a big influence on the people around her.

周り(Mawari) in context

周り is a practical, everyday word that can refer to the physical space around something-like the area surrounding a house, a pond, or a table-or the people and circumstances in your immediate environment. It’s also used to talk about the perimeter or girth of objects, such as the circumference of a circle or the edge of a town.

You’ll hear 周り in phrases like “周りを見る” (to look around), “周りの人” (people around you), and “口の周り” (around the mouth). It’s a flexible word that works for both literal and figurative surroundings, making it useful in casual conversation, directions, and descriptions.

While 周り and 回り (also read “mawari”) sound similar, they have slightly different uses. 周り is more about the area or people around something, while 回り can refer to rotation, rounds, or going by way of something.