Meaning

Primary

To Wrap

Word Type

transitive verb, godan verb

Explanation

Because the hiragana ends with an sound, you know this word is a verb. The kanji itself means wrap so the verb vocab version is to wrap.

Reading

つつむ
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)
くるむ
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)

Explanation

You never wrap things once, you always wrap them twice. And then you double that. It's a two two (つつ) wrapping technique.

つつむ is the reading we want you to focus on, but it's good to know that 包む can be read as くるむ as well. くるむ is used when you wrap something up carefully and protectively, like a baby in a blanket. つつむ on the other hand, has broader use and is commonly used for wrapping things like presents.

Context

Context Sentences

睡眠薬をビニールラップで包みました。

I wrapped up my sleeping pills with the plastic wrap.

Kanji Composition