round · circle

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 丸 has three strokes and represents roundness.
• Basic usage: The noun 丸, read まる, means a circle; the adjective 丸い, read まるい, describes a round shape.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Noun and adjective
  • 丸を描く means to draw a circle; 丸いテーブル means a round table.
  • Describing an object's shape uses the adjective 丸い, including its ending い.
• Making something round
  • 丸める, read まるめる, describes actions such as crumpling paper or shaping dough into a ball.
  • 丸い describes a round state; 丸める describes making an object that way.
• Wholeness rather than shape
  • 丸ごと, read まるごと, means whole or in its entirety.
  • 家を丸ごと保存する means to preserve an entire house, not that the house is round.