Grimm's Law was a sound change that turned k into h when Proto-Germanic split off from Proto-Indo-European. The original form was something like *kwel which turned into *hwel in Proto-Germanic, then eventually wheel in English and hjul in Scandinavian languages.
The other words (chakra, circle, cycle) are from some kind of reduplicated form like *kwekwlos, via different routes.
Thanks! It reminds me of how western Norwegians (Bergen, Stavanger etc) say a hard K sound when I think a H sound would be “normal”. Maybe they just never changed?
The other words (chakra, circle, cycle) are from some kind of reduplicated form like *kwekwlos, via different routes.