# 周り vs. 回り



## furrykef

Is there any difference between 周り and 回り? My English/Japanese dictionaries don't indicate any difference, and the Japanese IME's explanation is too difficult for me to understand.

The sentence I got it from -- 月は地球のまわりを回っています -- just wrote it in kana, possibly to avoid the whole issue, but I'd like to learn the correct kanji usage unless the word is rarely written in kanji.

- Kef


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## uchi.m

周り refers to a border or to a neighborhood while 回り is related to the movement of rotation.


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## furrykef

So would you use 回り in the sentence provided? It describes the revolution of the moon around the earth, which is a kind of rotation, but the moon does also rotate around the circumference (周り) of the earth too...


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## uchi.m

furrykef said:


> So would you use 回り in the sentence provided? It describes the revolution of the moon around the earth, which is a kind of rotation, but the moon does also rotate around the circumference (周り) of the earth too...


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## furrykef

When would you use 回り, then? Maybe something like 地球の回りはかなり遅いです = The earth's rotation/revolution is pretty slow? Though if I look up "rotation" and "revolution" in my dictionaries, it says 回転 instead...


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## rukiak

？地球の回りはかなり遅いです
地球の回転はかなり遅いです

地球は北極からみて反時計回りに回ります。　時計回りではありませんよ。
つまり、左回りです。でも南からみると右回りということになります。
それと、北極からみると、月は地球の周りを半時計回りにまわっていますね。


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## furrykef

I'm afraid that I don't really know enough Japanese to be able to read your response very well...


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## uchi.m

rukiak said:


> 地球の回転はかなり遅いです
> 
> 地球は北極からみて反時計回りに回ります。　時計回りではありませんよ。
> つまり、左回りです。でも南からみると右回りということになります。
> それと、北極からみると、月は地球の周りを半時計回りにまわっていますね。





furrykef said:


> I'm afraid that I don't really know enough Japanese to be able to read your response very well...



Rukiakさん is telling you that if we look the Earth from the North Pole, the planet is rotating counter-clockwise. He also gives you many examples of use of 回り.


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## furrykef

Ahh, I understand now. Japanese is much easier for me to read when I already have an idea of what it's saying. ^^;

So then 回り isn't actually a word by itself, it's more like a suffix for expressions like "clockwise"?

- Kef


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## Flaminius

You are right, Furry.

回り is seldom used by itself.


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## horangi

Rukiak, don't you mean 反時計, not 半時計?


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## Hiro Sasaki

furrykef said:


> Is there any difference between 周り and 回り? My English/Japanese dictionaries don't indicate any difference, and the Japanese IME's explanation is too difficult for me to understand.
> 
> The sentence I got it from -- 月は地球のまわりを回っています -- just wrote it in kana, possibly to avoid the whole issue, but I'd like to learn the correct kanji usage unless the word is rarely written in kanji.
> 
> - Kef


 
Hola, Furrykef

It's difficult to answer to your question.

I will give you some examples.

1. 月の周り　＝　circumference of the moon. 　More scienticly,
月の周囲( しゅうい）

2. 私の周りの人　＝　people around me.

3. 私の周りには　外国人は　いません。　There is no foreigner aroud us.


4.  公園を一回りしてきます。　（　こうえん　を　ひとまわり　してきます。）
I will go and walk around the park.


5. 月は　地球の周りを回ります。　The moon goes around the earth.

6. 胸周り、　腰周り　In medical check, How can I say ? Sorry 
I 'm tired. Good night !

Hiro Sasaki


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