Skip to content
Kotomora

丸

round, full (month), perfection, -ship, pills, make round, roll up, curl up, seduce, explain away

JLPTN2StatusJōyō · grade 2FrequencyTop 1,000Strokes3

Readings

On'yomi

  • ガン

Kun'yomi

  • まる
  • まる.める
  • まる.い

Nanori

  • ま
  • わ
  • わに

Meaning

丸 centers on roundness and completeness: a circle, a full month, perfection, or making something round. Extended senses like pills, rolling up, or curling up are natural applications of the round shape, while seducing or explaining away are figurative uses of smoothing or rounding things over.

Most common words using 丸

20 of 222
  • 丸まる
    N3

    circle

  • 丸いまるい
    N5

    round; circular; spherical

  • 弾丸だんがん

    bullet; shot; shell

  • 丸ごとまるごと
    N1

    in its entirety; whole; wholly

  • 丸出しまるだし

    (fully) exposed; bare; uncovered; in full view; undisguised; broad (accent)

  • 丸見えまるみえ

    full view; plain sight; completely visible

  • 本丸ほんまる

    inner citadel

  • 丸めるまるめる
    N2

    to make round; to roll up; to curl up

  • 日の丸ひのまる
    N1

    red or gold circle representing the Sun

  • 烏丸うがん

    Wuhuan (proto-Mongolic nomadic people)

  • 丸々まるまる
    N1

    plump; rotund; chubby

  • 丸太まるた

    log

  • 睾丸こうがん

    testicle; testicles; testes

  • 丸みまるみ
    N2

    roundness; rotundity

  • 丸井まるい

    Marui

  • 一丸いちがん

    one lump; one body; one group

  • 大丸だいまる

    Daimaru

  • 丸っきりまるっきり
    N1

    completely; absolutely; totally; (not) at all

  • 丸呑みまるのみ

    swallowing whole; swallowing without chewing

  • 丸裸まるはだか

    being stark-naked

Explore all words using 丸 →

Study

Etymology

丸 is thought to be a pictograph of a round object, with the curved outer shape and inner dot representing something small and round. The exact historical development is uncertain, but the character has long been associated with roundness.

Meaning mnemonic

The curved strokes of 九 with a dot inside look like a small round pill or a curled-up ball. Picture a perfectly round marble: 丸 is roundness and completeness.

Reading mnemonic

For ガン, imagine a round cannonball: gun -> ガン, and the cannonball is perfectly round like 丸.