環 means “ring, loop, surround”
かん · kan
Also: circle
- Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)
- わ
- On'yomi (Chinese reading)
- カン
JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 17 strokes
The story
Jade (王, the jewel radical) beside an eye (罒) over a mouth (口) and the hem of a robe: picture a jade ring held up to the eye. 環 is a ring or loop: 環境 is the world around you, and Osaka's 環状線 is the loop line circling the city.
Used in 環境 (kankyou, environment), 循環 (junkan, circulation/cycle), and 環状線 (kanjousen, loop line)
More from Shapes & Angles
- 枠 frame
- 端 edge
- 距 distance
- 圏 sphere
- 縦 vertical
- 緯 latitude
- 径 diameter
- 斜 diagonal
- 傍 beside
- 塊 lump
- 孔 hole
- 凸 convex
Learn 環 and more kanji free on Fuji Learning · All kanji
Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.