まわる (回る): One Verb, Many Meanings (with Examples)
Why one verb has so many meanings
The translations of 回る look scattered at first — spin? tour? detour? pass? But every one of them is really the same picture: something traces a circle or a loop.
A spinning top traces a circle. Touring shops one after another is a loop through them. Taking a detour curves around instead of going straight. Even time "turning past" an hour is the clock hand sweeping around. Hold the image of going around and the list below stops being separate words to memorize — it's one idea seen from different angles.
One structural note before the meanings: 回る is the intransitive verb — the thing goes around by itself (the top spins; you can't point to a separate doer acting on it). It has a transitive twin, 回す (まわす), "to turn / spin something," which we'll compare at the end. They're a classic JLPT pair.
The meanings, most common first
1. To turn / spin / rotate (回る)
こまがくるくる回る。
こまが くるくる まわる。
The top spins round and round.
くるくる is a mimetic word for spinning — it pairs naturally with 回る.
2. To go around / make the rounds (回る)
ヤッタンは店を見て回るのが好きだ。
ヤッタンは みせを みて まわるのが すきだ。
Yattan likes wandering around and looking at shops.
〜て回る = to do something while going from place to place.
3. To go around (the world / a region) (回る)
モチはいつか世界を回りたいと言った。
モチは いつか せかいを まわりたいと いった。
Mochi said she wants to travel around the world someday.
4. To take a detour / go around via (回る)
弟は遠回りして家に帰った。
おとうとは とおまわりして いえに かえった。
My little brother took the long way home.
遠回り (とおまわり) = a detour; the 回 here is the 'going around' image.
5. (Of time) to pass / go past (回る)
もう3時を回った。
もう さんじを まわった。
It's already past three o'clock.
〜時を回る describes the clock hand sweeping past an hour.
6. To go round (and reach) / circulate (回る)
先生は教室を回って学生に声をかけた。
せんせいは きょうしつを まわって がくせいに こえを かけた。
The teacher went around the classroom and spoke to the students.
7. 目が回る — to feel dizzy (idiom)
ヤッタンは忙しくて目が回る。
ヤッタンは いそがしくて めが まわる。
Yattan is so busy his head is spinning.
目が回る literally 'the eyes spin' = to be dizzy, or to be swamped with work.
8. 気が回る — to be attentive / considerate (idiom, N3)
モチはよく気が回る人だ。
モチは よく きが まわる ひとだ。
Mochi is a very attentive, thoughtful person.
気が回る = your awareness 'goes around' to others' needs.
And it keeps going, all from the same "go around" image: 手が回らない (can't manage everything — your hands can't reach around to it all), お金が回る (money circulates), 頭が回る (to be quick-witted). Once the core image clicks, most of these feel intuitive rather than separate.
Common collocations worth memorizing
Some 回る phrases are fixed enough that natives treat them as single units. Learn them as chunks:
| Collocation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| こまが回る | the top spins |
| 見て回る | to look around / browse |
| 世界を回る | to travel around the world |
| 目が回る | to feel dizzy / be swamped |
| 気が回る | to be attentive / considerate |
| 手が回らない | to be unable to manage it all |
| 3時を回る | to be past three o'clock |
Kanji & related verbs
The kanji is 回 ("to turn, to revolve") — the same character in 回す (turn something), 回数 (number of times), and 一回 (once). The shape itself is a box inside a box, a little picture of going around.
Watch out for the paired and look-alike verbs:
- 回す (まわす, transitive) — to turn / spin something (the partner you must know).
- 巡る (めぐる, N2) — to go around / tour, often more poetic ("the seasons go around").
- 周る — an alternate kanji sometimes used for "tour around," but 回る is the standard N5 choice.
At N5, focus on 回る and its twin 回す.
回る vs 回す — the trap
These two are a transitive/intransitive pair, and the JLPT loves testing them. Both are Group 1 (う-)verbs. The difference is who's doing it:
| Form | Core idea | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 回る (intransitive) | Something goes around on its own | こまが回る = the top spins |
| 回す (transitive) | Someone turns / spins something | こまを回す = (I) spin the top |
A neat way to feel it: with 回す you can point to the person doing it (and the object takes を); with 回る you're just describing how things move (the subject takes が). ハンドルを回す = "I turn the steering wheel"; タイヤが回る = "the tires spin." Same loop, different grammar.
Quick recap
- One image powers them all: something goes around — spins, loops, or makes a circuit.
- High-value chunks: 見て回る, 目が回る, 気が回る, 3時を回る.
- It's an intransitive う-verb (subject takes が); its partner 回す is transitive (object takes を).
- Both are Group 1 verbs: 回る → 回って／回らない, 回す → 回して／回さない.
Your turn
Ready to test your N5 vocabulary in context?
Start the 5-question drill →Frequently asked questions
Is 回る a ru-verb or u-verb?
回る (まわる) is a Group 1 (う-verb / godan) verb: 回る → 回ります, 回って, 回らない. Don't be fooled by the -る ending — it conjugates like 帰る and 走る, not like 食べる.
What is the difference between 回る and 回す?
回る is intransitive — something goes around by itself (こまが回る = the top spins). 回す is transitive — someone turns something (こまを回す = (I) spin the top). The intransitive subject takes が; the transitive object takes を.
What does 目が回る mean?
Literally 'the eyes spin.' It means to feel dizzy, or figuratively to be swamped — so busy your head is spinning (忙しくて目が回る).
Why does 回る have so many meanings?
They nearly all share one core image — going around in a circle or a loop. Spinning, touring shops, detouring, and a clock passing an hour are all variations on 'move around.'