noun
roll; rolled-up item
A thing that has been rolled up, such as cloth or paper; 巻き is also a practical spelling for this concrete sense.
棚に大きな布の巻きがいくつも並んでいる。
Large rolls of cloth are lined up on the shelf.
noun
winding; winding up
Only when written 巻き
Refers to winding a mechanism, especially a spring or clockwork device; common in phrases such as ねじの巻き.
The old clock needs its spring wound every morning.
noun
volume; book volume
Only when written 巻
Native-style reading for a book volume or section, often in literary or story contexts. Do not confuse this with 巻 read かん in compounds such as 第一巻.
この物語は三つの巻に分かれている。
This story is divided into three volumes.
noun
speeding up; hurrying things along
Only when written 巻き
Often used as 巻きで in production, meetings, events, and casual workplace speech when asking people to move faster or shorten something.
時間がないので、ここからは巻きでお願いします。
We're short on time, so please speed things up from here.
noun
heel of a Japanese sandal
Only when written 巻
Rare specialized term for part of traditional footwear; modern speakers are more likely to use more general words for the heel or back part.
古い履物の用語では、草履のかかとの部分を「巻」と呼ぶことがある。
In older footwear terminology, the heel part of a zōri may be called maki.
The verb meaning to roll, wrap, or wind; 巻・巻き is the corresponding noun for the roll or the act/result of winding.
Another reading of the same kanji, commonly used for numbered book volumes such as 第一巻; this word is the native reading まき.
A loanword often used for rolls of paper, cloth, film, or food; 巻・巻き is more native/Japanese in feel and has additional senses such as book volume and winding.
Many senses are related to 巻く, 'to roll or wind.' The book-volume sense is conventionally associated with rolled scrolls or volumes; the exact history of the rare sandal term is uncertain.