dance, flit, circle, wheel

About this kanji

The kanji 「舞」 primarily means "dance" and can also convey ideas of flitting or circling. It is often used as a verb, as in the word 舞う (まう), which means "to dance" and evokes the image of a graceful, whirling movement. You'll also see it in nouns like 舞台 (ぶたい), meaning "stage," and 舞踊 (ぶよう), which refers to "dancing" more generally. Another interesting compound is 歌舞伎 (かぶき), a traditional Japanese form of theater combining music and dance. When you use 見舞う (みまう), it means "to visit and comfort someone," highlighting a caring aspect of dance and performance. This kanji beautifully captures the art of movement.

Example sentences

• 彼女は美しく舞った。

  She danced beautifully.

Meanings across languages

English

dance, flit, circle, wheel

Tiếng Việt

nhảy, bay nhảy, vòng tròn, bánh xe

日本語

舞う, ひらひらする, 円, 車輪

한국어

춤, 날아다니다, 원, 바퀴

中文

舞蹈, 飞舞, 圆, 轮子

id

tari

th

การเต้น

es

danza

fr

danse

de

Tanz

pt

dança

Common compounds

• 舞台ぶたいstage (of a theatre, concert hall, etc.), stage performance, stage production
• 舞踊ぶようdancing, dance
• 歌舞伎かぶきkabuki, traditional form of drama and music performed by male actors wearing makeup mainly in white and red
• 見舞うみまうto visit and comfort or console, to go to see (e.g. someone in hospital), to ask after (e.g. someone's health)
• 舞うまうto dance (orig. a whirling dance), to whirl (in the wind), to flutter (about)
• 舞踏ぶとうdance (esp. Western style), dancing
• 演舞えんぶdance performance
• 仕舞うしまうto finish, to stop, to end