1a swinging, shaking, or waving motion (e.g. a wave of the hand); the act or manner of swinging or shaking something.
彼は手の振りで合図した。
He signaled with a wave of his hand.
犬の尻尾の振りが速くなった。
The dog's tail wagging became faster.
彼女は首のかしげる振りを見せた。
She showed a little head-tilting motion.
2appearance or behaviour; the way someone presents themselves or acts (often written in kana).
彼の言葉遣いやふりから、育ちの良さがうかがえる。
From his way of speaking and manner, one can sense his good upbringing.
堂々としたふりで壇上に立つ姿に、聴衆は圧倒された。
The audience was overwhelmed by the dignified bearing with which he stood on stage.
初対面でも、彼女のふりからは知性が感じられた。
Even meeting her for the first time, one could sense her intelligence from her manner.
3pretence or feigned behaviour; pretending to be something one is not (often used as '〜の振りをする').
彼は知らないふりをした。
He pretended not to know.
痛くないふりをして、その場をやり過ごした。
He pretended it didn't hurt and got through the situation.
注意されたとき、彼女は気づかないふりを続けた。
When reprimanded, she continued to pretend she hadn't noticed.
4a customer who comes to a restaurant, inn, etc. without a reservation or introduction (a drop-in guest).
週末はふりで来る客が多く、満席になることがある。
On weekends many customers drop in without reservations, and it can become full.
予約がないふりの客は対応に時間がかかる場合がある。
Dealing with walk-in customers without reservations can sometimes take extra time.
5postures or poses in dance; movements that are part of choreography.
この曲の振りは覚えるのに時間がかかる。
The choreography for this song takes time to learn.
舞の振りを丁寧に練習した。
I practiced the dance postures carefully.
6a lead-in or setup for a joke, question, etc.; in comedy contexts often written in katakana as フリ.
漫才では相方のフリに対するツッコミが肝心だ。
In manzai comedy, the retort to the partner's setup is crucial.
その冗談はフリとしては弱かった。
That joke was weak as a setup line.
7the unsewn hanging part of a sleeve on traditional Japanese women's garments (a specialized kimono term).
この着物は振りが長く、歩くと袖がきれいに揺れる。
This kimono has long hanging sleeves; they sway nicely when you walk.
振りの幅は着物の年代やデザインで変わる。
The length/width of the sleeve hanging varies with the era and design of the kimono.
8a counter for swords, blades, etc. (used as 〜振り to count swords).
古い刀を二振り所持している。
He owns two old swords.
博物館には数振りの刀が展示されている。
Several swords are exhibited in the museum.