振り向く

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 振り向く is read as ふりむく and is a verb meaning to turn one’s head or body to look behind or toward a sound or other stimulus.
• Basic usage: Responding to a name appears in 名前を呼ばれて振り向く, while turning toward here appears in こちらを振り向く.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Gaze and movement
  • It describes physically turning to look in a direction, not merely noticing a sound.
• Difference from 振り返る
  • Both can mean looking back, but 振り返る also broadly means reflecting on the past; 振り向く readily describes turning toward a stimulus.