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引き回し (ひきまわし) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Freq. Frequency Top 100,000 Meanings 1
noun
taking someone around ; showing around ; guidance
Refers to the act of leading or escorting someone to various places, often for sightseeing or introductions. Can imply a somewhat informal or casual tour.
き
回まわ
し
で
一いち
日にち
が
終お
わっ
た
。
The day ended with taking tourists around.
2
noun
parading a criminal through town (Edo period)
archaic
Historical term for the practice of publicly displaying a criminal before execution during the Edo period. Not used in modern contexts.
Written forms 引ひ き 回まわ し Usage 86%
Standard modern spelling.
引ひき 回まわ し Usage 7%
Abbreviated kanji form; rarely used.
引ひき 廻まわ し Usage 7%
Abbreviated form with older 廻; very rare.
引ひ き 廻まわ し
Variant using the older 廻 kanji; less common in contemporary writing.
Similar words 案あん 内ない 案内 is a more formal and general term for guidance or showing the way, while 引き回し often implies physically taking someone around to multiple places, sometimes with a casual or slightly burdensome nuance.
Etymology Compound of 引き (hiki, continuative form of 引く 'to pull') + 回し (mawashi, continuative form of 回す 'to turn, send around'). Literally 'pulling around', extended to mean leading someone around.
