周 — “surroundings / lap” in Japanese

Grade 4しゅう, まわ

Radical ⼝ · radical 30 The building block this kanji is filed under

“surroundings / lap” in Japanese is 周, read shuu, mawa (しゅう, まわ). It is a Grade 4 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 4 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 一周 (one lap / round).

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What does 周 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	周
Meaning	surroundings / lap
Readings	しゅう, まわ
Grade	Grade 4 (Upper)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	一周 (one lap / round)

How to read 周

周 is read shuu (しゅう) or mawa (まわ) depending on the word.

Words with 周

周辺しゅうへん
周囲
一周

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Kanji read the same way as 周

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

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Updated: 2026-08-28