半円

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 半円, read はんえん, combines 半, half, with 円, a circle, to describe half a circle.
• Basic usage: It describes the shape of cut paper or the arrangement of people around a stage.
  • 色紙を半円に切って飾りを作った。

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• A filled shape and an arrangement
  • 半円に切る describes the shape of the cut paper, while 半円に並ぶ describes people arranged along a semicircle.