Turn, Times, Return
まわる (mawaru), まわす (mawasu)
Interesting Fact
Some Buddhist temples and sacred sites use circumambulation—walking around a sacred object or building rather than simply walking straight toward it. 🧘 The practice appears in several Buddhist traditions across Asia and can be performed repeatedly as a form of devotion. Instead of heading directly from A to B, the worshipper moves around and around, creating a physical journey that returns to where it began.
Memory Trick
“🌀 A little man is trapped inside a square loop, walking around and around until he finally comes back to where he started—that's 回!” 💡Bonus: 回 (かい) is used as a counter for the number of times something happens. 1回 (いっかい) — once 2回 (にかい) — twice 3回 (さんかい) — three times
Readings
Onyomi: カイ (kai), エ (e)
Kunyomi: まわる (mawaru), まわす (mawasu)
Example Words
Example Sentence
この映画は三回見ました。
この えいが は さんかい みました。
kono eiga wa sankai mimashita
I watched this movie three times.