团 tuán — regiment; round; circular; group; society; dumpling
中秋节一家人团聚在一起。Zhōng qiū jié yì jiā rén tuán jù zài yì qǐ.At the Mid-Autumn Festival the whole family gathers together.
Common words: 团结 (tuán jié)、团体 (tuán tǐ)、代表团 (dài biǎo tuán)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "circular"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "circular", including 团 (tuán), 圆 (yuán). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "circular" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 团 (tuán), 圆 (yuán) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span tuán, yuán — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 团 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 团 tuánregiment; round; circular; group; society; dumplingUseful words: 团结, 团体
- 圆 yuáncircle; round; circular; spherical; (of the moon) full; unit of Chinese currency (Yuan)Useful words: 圆满, 团圆
Common words for these 2 "circular" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 团 (tuán) — so "circular" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "circular".
圆 yuán — circle; round; circular; spherical; (of the moon) full; unit of Chinese currency (Yuan)
中秋节的月亮又大又圆。Zhōng qiū jié de yuè liang yòu dà yòu yuán.The moon at the Mid-Autumn Festival is big and round.
Common words: 圆满 (yuán mǎn)、团圆 (tuán yuán)、椭圆 (tuǒ yuán)
All 2 characters
Open 团、圆 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.