取り巻く

• Reading: とりまく
• Romaji: torimaku
• Kanji breakdown: 取 (tori/shu) — take; 巻 (ma/kan) — wind, wrap, coil
• Pronunciation: /to.ɾi.ma.kɯ/

Meaning

To surround; to encircle; to gather around. Used for physical encirclement and for describing the environment or people around someone.

A Group 1 (godan) compound verb from 取り (tori) + 巻く (maku — to wind, to wrap, to encircle). 取り巻く is used for crowds surrounding a person, armies encircling a position, or the broader social and environmental context that envelops someone (周囲を取り巻く状況 — the circumstances surrounding one). The noun 取り巻き (torimaki) means an entourage or hangers-on, people who cluster around a powerful figure.

Examples

1. ファンたちは空港を出た歌手をたちまち取り巻き、サインを求めた。 Fans instantly surrounded the singer as he left the airport and asked for autographs.
2. 会社を取り巻く経営環境は、急速に変化している。 The business environment surrounding the company is changing rapidly.
3. 権力者の周りには、常に取り巻きが集まるものだ。 Around those in power, hangers-on invariably gather.

Usage Guide

Context: business, crowds, environment, politics

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

取り (tori — general action prefix) + 巻く (maku — to wrap, to wind around, from 巻 meaning scroll, coil). The image is of something winding around and enclosing a central point.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical–Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal