About this Draft
This page is part of the early access version of The Kanji Speedrun. The essentials—kanji meanings and mnemonics—are already in place and usable, but nearly every part of the page is still being polished. Some entries may contain mistakes, but please rest assured we are working hard to make revisions.
We’re sharing these drafts now so you can keep learning while we polish the full experience. If you notice something off, please don’t hesitate to let me know—it’s a huge help in improving the course!
丸
ROUND
Mnemonic
See the main stroke bent slightly with a little drop underneath? Imagine it as a ball with a dot of light reflecting off its surface — that shape makes you think of something perfectly ROUND.
丸 often carries the sense of “circle, ball, roundness.” It also shows up in names, product labels, or even as a suffix to ships’ names (like 日本丸).
Example Vocabulary
- 弾丸（だんがん） – bullet (literally “ball of lead”)
- 丸ごと – whole, entirely, “the whole thing”
- 日丸（にちまる） – common suffix in ship names (e.g. 日本丸)
- 丸める（まるめる） – to roll up, to make round
- 丸 – circle, round mark; suffix used in names
Round in form and usage
丸 covers everything from physical roundness (弾丸, 丸める) to the idea of “whole” (丸ごと).
It even shows up in culture as a naming suffix, especially in ships like 日本丸, giving them a sense of completeness and safety.
Example Sentences
- ケーキを丸ごと食べました。– I ate the cake whole.
- 弾丸はとても速いです。– A bullet is very fast.