Refers to the distance around something, often used for trees, pillars, or body measurements.
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.
On my days off, I like to go on tours visiting shrines.
The Shikoku 88-temple pilgrimage is a famous circuit.
Poor blood circulation can lead to sensitivity to cold.
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.