回
# Of Times
| on’yomi | kun’yomi | Radicals |
|---|---|---|
| かい | まわ.す, まわ.る | 口 + 口 |
Meaning: # Of Times
There’s a mouth inside a mouth. But, if you look even closer (not actually, but we’re pretending) you can see another mouth inside that mouth… and another one inside of that one! It keeps going and going. Can you count the number of times there’s a mouth inside a mouth?
Imagine yourself counting and counting smaller and smaller mouths inside of each other, recording the number of times you can find a mouth inside another mouth. Dig deeper and deeper until it feels ridiculous how small the mouths are getting. Be sure to focus on the counting and the number of times you find one.
Reading: かい
When we need to remember the reading かい we use the word “coyote” which is pronounced more like “kaiyotee.” – At the very end… at the very last mouth… there’s a big surprise for you there, which causes you to fall back. There’s a tiny coyote (かい) that jumps out of the tiny little mouth and then gets bigger as it flies out at you, grabbing onto your face.
During all this, do you remember the number of times you had to count mouths in order to get to the coyote? Also, don’t forget to feel surprised by the coyote jumping out at you. That surprise will help you to remember the reading!
Vocabulary
a 回（かい）＝ Number Of Times
- Meaning: As in ３回 (three times)
- Reading: When alone like this, it’s the on’yomi reading that wins. Why? Because it’s usually going to be attached to something, like a number, or some other kanji (and combo kanji usually = on’yomi readings).
a 回す（まわす）＝ Rotate Something
- Meaning: Think of the rotation of the earth, a clock, or anything else. Each rotation is like a “number of times” (the meaning of this kanji). That’s why the verb form of this kanji is about rotations. For this one, it’s about rotating something, as in you’re doing the action of rotating it.
- Reading: The kun’yomi reading part you have to remember is まわ. I’d do your best for a few seconds, then come back in a couple minutes to see if you can build some memory by trying to recall it. If not, you’ll have it in your study deck.
a 回る（まわる）＝ Something Rotates
- Meaning: Same like the previous word, but this time something just rotates (and you aren’t doing the action of rotating it).
- Reading: Same like the previous word, as well, with the same recommendations.
a 一回（いっかい）＝ One Time
- Combo: 一 (one) + 回 (time)
- Meaning: If 回 means “number of times” then the 一 just specifies how many times. In this case, one. You can have 二回, 三回, and 百回 as well. Any number should work.
- Reading: The on’yomi readings of the kanji.
a 今回（こんかい）＝ This Time
- Combo: 今 (now) + 回 (time)
- Meaning: The now time is this time. Not last time. Not next time… this time.
- Reading: On’yomi readings of the kanji.