真ん丸い

まんまるい

perfectly circular

JLPT N1

Character Breakdown

Meaning and Usage

"真ん丸い" (まんまるい) describes something that is perfectly or completely round, emphasizing the ideal circular shape without any irregularities. It is often used to describe natural objects like the moon or eyes, or man-made objects like balls.

Common Collocations

  • 真ん丸い月 (まんまるいつき): perfectly round moon, often used in poetic or descriptive contexts.
  • 真ん丸い目 (まんまるいめ): perfectly round eyes, commonly used to describe a cute or surprised expression.
  • 真ん丸いボール (まんまるいボール): perfectly round ball, emphasizing the shape.

Register and Nuance

This adjective is informal to neutral and can be used in everyday conversation as well as in written descriptions. It conveys a sense of completeness and perfection in roundness, often with a positive or affectionate nuance.

Learner Tips

Be careful not to confuse 真ん丸い with 丸い (まるい), which also means round but does not emphasize the perfect or complete roundness. 真ん丸い adds a stronger nuance of ideal circular shape. Use 真ん丸い when you want to highlight the flawless roundness of an object.

Example Sentences

そらにまんまるいつきがうかんでいる。

A perfectly round moon is floating in the sky.

かのじょのめはまんまるくて、とてもかわいい。

Her eyes are perfectly round and very cute.

こどもたちはまんまるいボールであそんでいる。

The children are playing with perfectly round balls.