○

A generic circle shape.

○

1. (geometry) A circle.
2. A female family member in a family tree.

   Coordinate term: □

3. (phonetics) An unidentifiable or indeterminate segment.
4. (chemistry, obsolete) Oxygen (Daltonian symbol).
5. (go) A white stone.

   Antonym: ●

Directly from 丸(まる) (maru, “circle”).

○(まる) • (maru) 

1. circle
2. correct, check mark, good

• ×(ばつ) (batsu): incorrect, bad

• ◎(にじゅうまる) (nijūmaru): very good
• △(さんかく) (sankaku): slightly wrong; OK but not great

• ○×

○(まる) or ○(なに) • (maru or nani) 

1. Placeholder for a kanji or kana.
   1. Used to indicate a space to be filled in.

      ○○が好き

      ______ ga suki

      to like ______

   2. Used to censor or obscure individual characters.

      セッ○ス

      sekkusu

      s*x (sex)

      創○○会

      Sōka Gakkai

      S*k* Gak*i (Soka Gakkai)

      Micr○soft

      Micr*soft

      ち○ぽ

      chi*po

      di*k

      ま○ち

      maruchi

      Mu*ti.^[1]

      • 2004, 榎本年弥, 旅の指さし会話帳7 オーストラリア: オーストラリア英語‎^[1], Joho Center Publishing, →ISBN, page 122:

        prick………チ○ポコ
        prickhead………バカ野郎

        dickheadと同じく、「チン○コ頭」の意味。

○(たいあん) • (taian) 

1. 大安, the fifth day of the 六曜 (rokuyō) calendar. Good luck.

• ○(まる)○(まる) (marumaru)
• 〇 (“zero”, an alternative for 零)
• ほにゃらら (a possible pronunciation for a blanked-out word, such as in ○○が好き above)