巻 (juàn) - Scroll, volume, book & to roll up, to curl

巻Tone 4

juàn ｜ 9 strokes ｜ radical: 卩

傑君

巻 · juàn

Scroll, volume, book;

to roll up, to curl;

examination paper;

to involve, to entangle.

Scroll, volume, bookto roll up, to curlexamination paper

Usage highlights

ScrollVolume/bookTo roll upTo involveCurly hairExamination paper

Synonyms

  • 卷— Simplified Chinese form of scroll/volume
  • 冊— Volume, book (counter for books)
  • 本— Book, volume

Antonyms

  • 開— To open, unfold (opposite of rolling up)
  • 展— To spread out, unfold

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • Ancient books were written on scrolls (巻物).
  • This is the first volume of the encyclopedia (第一巻).
  • Please hand in your examination papers (答案用紙を巻く).
  • The smoke curled upward (煙が巻き上がった).

Collocations

  • Scroll(巻物)
  • Volume/book(巻)
  • To roll up(巻く)
  • To involve(巻き込む)
  • Curly hair(巻き毛)
  • Examination paper(答案用紙を巻く)

Idioms

  • To be drawn into trouble(巻き添えを食う)
  • To roll up one's sleeves and work hard(袖を巻いて働く)
  • The plot thickens(話が巻く)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Originally depicted a hand rolling up a bamboo scroll, representing ancient Chinese books.
  • In Japanese, used in examination contexts and for counting book volumes.
  • Associated with traditional scroll art and calligraphy in East Asian cultures.

FAQ