Meaning

Primary

To Surround

Alternative

To Enclose

Word Type

transitive verb, godan verb

Explanation

This word consists of kanji with hiragana attached. Because the hiragana ends with an sound, you know this word is a verb. The kanji itself means surround so the verb vocab version is to surround or to enclose.

Reading

かこむ
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)

Explanation

Since this word consists of a kanji with hiragana attached, you can bet that it will use the kun'yomi reading. You didn't learn that reading with this kanji, so here's a mnemonic to help you:

People surround you. They circle around you, calling you a chicken. "Cacko! (かこ) Cacko! Cacko!" Wait, this isn't the sound a chicken makes, right? You laugh at them, thinking their way of making a chicken noise is weird. Go ahead and join in with them and say "Cacko" with them as well.

Context

Patterns of Use

Common Word Combinations

  • テーブルを囲む

    to surround a table

    周囲を囲む

    to enclose the periphery, to surround an area

    周りを囲む

    to enclose the periphery, to surround

Context Sentences

こうやってみんなで火を囲むのって楽しいね。

It's fun to gather around the fire like this with everyone, isn't it?

日本は海に囲まれた国です。

Japan is a country surrounded by the sea.

ひらがなの「め」の字を丸で囲んで、「ぬ」の字を四角で囲んでください。

Encircle the hiragana character "め" with a circle and encircle the character "ぬ" with a square.

Kanji Composition