周囲|しゅういshuui[1]atamadaka (head-high)

1. no-adjectivesurroundings; environs
   生活せいかつのしかたを周囲しゅういの状況じょうきょうに合あわせたらどうだい。↗

   Why don't you adapt your way of life to circumstances?
2. no-adjectivecircumference
   この木きは周囲しゅうい３メートルある。↗

   This tree measures three meters around.

• Synonym周辺しゅうへんNeutralArea around a centre, as in 「駅の周辺」; covers a broader, more geographic range, while 「周囲」 suggests the immediate surroundings or the people around one.
• SynonymあたりNeutralCommon in speech for the vicinity, and also for approximation as in 「この辺り」; unlike 「周囲」 it never means circumference or the people around you.
• Synonym周りまわりNeutralEveryday word for what is around you or the people around you, as in 「周りの目」; more colloquial than 「周囲」, which is the more written term.
• Synonym近辺きんぺんWrittenWritten style for the area near a place; in daily speech 「付近」 or 「近く」 is more usual.
• Synonym環境かんきょうNeutralThe conditions around one that affect people, as in 「職場環境」; 「周囲」 points to the concrete physical surroundings.
• Synonym近くちかくNeutralNearby places, and also nearly or soon, common in speech; 「周囲」 is the encircling area and never expresses quantity or time.
• Synonym近傍きんぼうWrittenWritten word, also a mathematics term, for a nearby area; everyday life calls for 「近く」 or 「付近」 instead.
• Synonym四囲しいWrittenRare written word for what surrounds a place on all four sides; in daily use say 「周囲」 or 「周り」.
• Related付近ふきんNeutralThe area near a given spot, as in 「現場付近」; describes location objectively and, unlike 「周囲」, never means circumference or surrounding people.
• RelatedかたわらNeutralRight beside someone or something, and in 「～かたわら」 it means doing one thing alongside another, as in 「仕事の傍ら」; narrower than 「周囲」, just the adjacent side.
• Relatedその辺そのへんCasualColloquial for around there, and loosely for about that much or that sort of thing; 「周囲」 is the objective area all around.
• Related辺へんWrittenRead 「ほとり」, it usually means the bank or shore of water, as in 「湖のほとり」, or the near side of something, with a literary flavour; 「周囲」 is the ring around.
• Related近所きんじょNeutralThe neighbourhood near home, work or school, and also the neighbours themselves, as in 「近所の人」; 「周囲」 carries no neighbour sense.
• Related近隣きんりんWrittenWritten style for a neighbouring area or country, as in 「近隣住民」; more formal than 「近所」, while 「周囲」 is not limited to areas.
• Related間近まぢかNeutralVery close in distance or time, as in 「間近に迫る」, stressing imminence; 「周囲」 speaks only of the space around.
• Related外周がいしゅうNeutralThe outer ring or its length, as in 「外周道路」; 「周囲」 can also mean circumference but usually means the surroundings.
• Related界隈かいわいNeutralA district or part of town, as in 「新宿界隈」, and by extension a scene or community; 「周囲」 has no such circle sense.
• Related周縁しゅうえんWrittenWritten term for the fringe or periphery, as in 「都市の周縁」, also used for social margins; 「周囲」 stresses the area on all sides.
• Related辺りわたりNeutralCommon in speech for the vicinity, and also for approximation as in 「この辺り」; unlike 「周囲」 it never means circumference or the people around you.
• Antonym内部ないぶNeutralThe inside, inner side or interior of an organisation; the opposite of 「周囲」 in the inside-versus-outside sense.

Use 「周囲」 for the space around something and for the people around you; 「周り」 is the everyday spoken word for both. Pick 「周辺」 for a broader area around a centre, 「付近」 or 「辺り」 for the vicinity of a spot, and 「環境」 for the conditions surrounding one. 「内部」 is the opposite, meaning the inside. Others are narrower or stylistic: written 「近辺」「近傍」「近隣」「周縁」「四囲」, colloquial 「その辺」, literary 「ほとり」.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. ある物ものの周まわり。
2. ある物ものを取り囲とりかこむ一切いっさいのもの。
3. 円周えんしゅうの長ながさ。
4. 取り巻とりまき人にん。