匝 (zā): full circuit; one complete turn…

Meanings

1 full circuit; one complete turn or loop (literary measure word)
2 to encircle; to go around (literary verb)

Characters

匝

zā

to encircle; full circuit

Examples

绕了一匝之后，他回到原点。

Rào le yī zā zhīhòu, tā huídào yuándiǎn.

After going around one full circuit, he returned to the starting point.

四匝的城墙保护着古老的城市。

Sì zā de chéngqiáng bǎohù zhe gǔlǎo de chéngshì.

Four concentric rings of city walls protected the ancient city.

Tips

register

匝 is a classical/literary word rarely used in modern spoken Chinese. It appears in historical texts and poetry. In modern contexts, 圈 (quān) is preferred for 'loop' or 'circle'.

Components

radical

匚 fāng

right-opening container (Kangxi radical #22)

Outer C-shape — Kangxi radical #22, picturing a box or trough open on the right. Indexes 匝 in the container family with 区 area, 医 doctor, 匠 craftsman. The wraparound shape carries the core image of 匝: something that encircles, a single loop or full revolution.

semantic

巾 jīn

cloth; towel

Inside 巾 — pictograph of a hanging cloth or kerchief, here serving as filler that completes the enclosed shape. Together with 匚 the character pictures a cloth folded and wrapped one full turn around something, giving 匝 its core meaning: 'a full loop, one round, encircling.'