漢字Kanji · in Human Body & People
周: circumference, circuit
Also: lap
冂 carries the meaning · 吉 is drawn in
Oracle bone · Shang Bronze · Western Zhou Today
Oracle bone and bronze: Wikimedia Commons, traced from Academia Sinica, CC0. Today’s form: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Two readings, and the words that use each
シュウshuu · on'yomi · in compounds
- 周囲しゅういperimeter, surroundings
- 周辺しゅうへんoutskirts, peripheral
- 周期しゅうきcycle, period
- 周波数しゅうはすうfrequency
- 周遊券しゅうゆうけんexcursion ticket
- 円周えんしゅうcircumference
- 一周忌いっしゅうきfirst anniversary of a death
- 百周年ひゃくしゅうねんcentennial
- 一周するいっしゅうするgo around once
まわりmawari · kun'yomi · on its own
- 周りまわりperimeter, surroundings
Words: Kanji alive, CC BY 4.0.
Where it comes from
Origin · sourced
Pictogram (象形)
Oracle bone script: Pictogram (象形): a jade artifact with carved patterns. Original form of 彫 (“to carve”).
Source: Wiktionary, 周 (rev. 93537546), CC BY-SA 4.0
Memory story · made up to help you remember
“Open your mouth wide and what do you see? A simple, sturdy square!”
Connections
Also built on good luck (吉)
周 gives its sound to
The family reading is シュウ (shuu). Sound parts: KanjiVG.
Easy to confuse
The difference, side by sideIn ChineseSame character in simplified and traditional · zhōu
Same form: 周 is written the same way in mainland China (simplified) and in Taiwan and Hong Kong (traditional).
- Simplified
- 周 mainland China, Singapore
- Traditional
- 周 Taiwan, Hong Kong
Pinyin zhōu most common reading
Forms and pinyin: Unicode Unihan database (Unicode License v3). Pinyin lists the most common reading, not every reading.