Word
周囲
Meaning in Englishsurroundings, circumference, area around
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What it means
周囲 means the area immediately around a place or person, including the physical environment and nearby people. It covers the notion of surroundings in space, the perimeter around something, and the social or contextual environment in which an event occurs.
Main meanings
- Physical surroundings or vicinity of a place, including nearby objects and people
- Perimeter or circumference in mathematical or geometric use
- Social context or the people around a person, i.e., one's surroundings in a social sense
- General context or conditions surrounding a situation
How to use it
Used in daily conversation to refer to the area around a place or the people nearby; in formal writing, it can denote surrounding conditions or context; typical collocations include 周囲の人々, 周囲の環境, and 周囲を取り巻く状況.
Variants and close terms
- 周辺 (しゅうへん) — shūhen — vicinity
- 環境 (かんきょう) — kankyō — environment
- 中心 (ちゅうしん) — chūshin — center
Composition
- 周: around, circumference
- 囲: to surround, enclosure
- Combined meaning refers to the area or circle around something, including people and environment
Etymology
Sino-Japanese compound formed from 周 meaning around and 囲 meaning to surround; the reading is on'yomi style shū + i; used in compounds to denote the surrounding environment.
Word class
Noun (名詞)
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