Translation guide
The English word "around" has many meanings, from physical location to approximation. This guide breaks down the most common uses and shows how to express them naturally in Japanese.
Describing something that surrounds a place or is located in the general area.
Means 'surroundings' or 'vicinity'. Used for the area around something.
家の周りに花が咲いている。
There are flowers blooming around the house.
Refers to a neighborhood or vicinity. Often used with place names.
この辺りに郵便局はありますか。
Is there a post office around here?
More formal/literary word for 'surroundings' or 'periphery'.
その建物の周囲は塀で囲まれている。
The area around the building is enclosed by a wall.
Describing movement that goes in a circle or surrounds something.
Pattern meaning 'to go around something'. The verb 回る (まわる) means to spin or revolve.
地球は太陽の周りを回っている。
The earth goes around the sun.
Direct object pattern for touring or going around a place.
私たちは湖を一周した。
We walked around the lake.
Onomatopoeic adverb meaning 'all the way around' or 'in a circle'.
Giving an approximate number, time, or quantity.
Prefix meaning 'approximately'. Used before numbers.
約100人が集まった。
Around 100 people gathered.
Adverb meaning 'roughly' or 'about'. Very common in speech.
Suffix meaning 'about' or 'approximately'. Attached to quantities.
10分くらい待って。
Wait around 10 minutes.
Suffix meaning 'around' or 'approximately' for times or ages, literally 'before and after'.
Describing scattered locations or movement without a fixed direction.
Means 'here and there' or 'all over'. Used for scattered locations.
公園にはあちこちにベンチがある。
There are benches around the park.
Onomatopoeic adverb for strolling or wandering around casually.
Physically turning to face the opposite direction.
To turn one's head/body to look back. Often used when someone calls your name.
名前を呼ばれて振り向いた。
I turned around when someone called my name.
To turn around and look back, often while walking. Also used metaphorically (look back on the past).
Formal phrase meaning 'to change direction' or 'turn around' (vehicles, plans).
車が急に方向転換した。
The car suddenly turned around.
Moving so as to bypass something.
To detour or go around an obstacle. Common in traffic contexts.
工事のため迂回してください。
Please go around due to construction.
To avoid something. Can be used for physical obstacles or abstract things.
水たまりを避けて歩いた。
I walked around the puddle.
Idiomatic phrase meaning 'to go around behind' or 'outflank', often used strategically.
敵の裏をかいて攻撃した。
They attacked by going around the enemy.
Indicating that something exists or is available in the current context.
Colloquial way to ask if something is still around/available.
あの店はまだある？
Is that shop still around?
Formal verb meaning 'to exist'. Used for abstract or long-term presence.
その伝統は今も存在する。
That tradition is still around today.
English uses 'around' in many phrasal verbs and idiomatic expressions that have no direct Japanese equivalent. For example, 'hang around' is ぶらぶらする, 'fool around' is ふざける, and 'get around' (travel) is あちこち行く. Always consider the meaning first.
周り (まわり) emphasizes the immediate surroundings of a specific object, while 辺り (あたり) refers to a broader neighborhood or area. 家の周り means 'around the house' (garden, fence), while 家の辺り means 'the area near the house' (neighborhood).
犬がぐるっと回って寝た。
The dog turned around and lay down.
大体3時ごろ着くよ。
I'll arrive around 3 o'clock.
a woman around 30 years old
Compound verb meaning 'to walk around' (aimlessly or exploring).
街を歩き回った。
I walked around the town.
休日は公園をぶらぶらするのが好きだ。
I like to wander around the park on my days off.
彼は一度振り返って手を振った。
He turned around once and waved.