Refers to the distance around something, often used for trees, pillars, or body measurements.
この木の巡りは3メートルもある。
This tree has a circumference of three meters.
Used for traveling around a set of places, especially a pilgrimage or sightseeing circuit.
Often used in medical or physiological contexts for the flow of blood or other fluids.
血液の巡りが悪いと冷え性になる。
Poor blood circulation can lead to sensitivity to cold.
On my days off, I like to go on tours visiting shrines.
The Shikoku 88-temple pilgrimage is a famous circuit.
I measured the girth of this tree.
周遊 is a more formal travel-industry term for a round trip visiting several places, whereas 巡り is the everyday word used in compounds like 神社巡り.
循環 is the technical/medical term for circulation (as in the circulatory system), while 巡り is the softer everyday word seen in expressions like 血の巡り.
遍路 refers specifically to a religious pilgrimage circuit (like the Shikoku pilgrimage), while 巡り is broader and can mean any tour or circuit, sacred or not.
fate; fortune; chance encounter
one round; going around; making a round · first anniversary of a person's death
island tour; island hopping
visiting gardens; going around gardens
going around in circles; getting nowhere · circling a temple; circumambulation · roll-call vote
Standard kanji spelling for all senses.
Variant kanji; less common but seen in some contexts.
Noun form of the verb 巡る (めぐる, 'to go around'), from Old Japanese. The kanji 巡 suggests 'patrol' or 'circulate', while 廻 is a variant with a similar meaning.