Nihongo

Classroom

What is the Kanji for "Eternity"?

If you are wondering what is the Japanese Kanji for "Eternity", you've come to the right place!

The Japanese Kanji for "Eternity" is "永".

This kanji has 2 readings:

Its kunyomi reading is "Naga".

Its onyomi reading is "Ei".

kunyomi readings are based on the pronunciation of native Japanese words, and onyomi readings are based on the Chinese pronunciation of the character.

If you visually breakdown this kanji, you can see is made up of 2 parts:

The kanji "水" means "Water" and can be read as "Sui" and "Mizu". And The radical "丶" means "Dot" .

Now, let's make sure you understand this kanji the other way around too.

What does the kanji "永" mean in japanese?

"永" means "Eternity" .

Japanese School Students learn this kanji in Fifth Grade, while foreigners may learn this kanji in preparation for the JLPT N2 exam.

Here are some words that use this kanji:

永遠: "Eternity" or "Forever". The Japanese word '永遠 (えいえん)' is an adjectival noun that means 'eternity' or 'forever'. It refers to something that lasts or continues without end, or that has no beginning or end. This word can be used to describe concepts like love, life, or the universe. For example: Their love will last forever - (彼らの愛は永遠に続く). The universe has existed for eternity - (宇宙は永遠に存在してきた).
永久: "Permanent". The adjectival noun '永久 (えいきゅう)' means 'permanent'. This word is used to describe something that lasts forever or for a very long time without change. It can be used to refer to things like commitment, love, or fundamental principles. For example: Permanent love - (永久の愛). This contract is permanent - (この契約は永久のものです).

To make really sure you learn this Kanji, I've prepared an interactive lesson for you. You are going to learn the readings and meanings of this kanji.

But first, you need to know a little bit about Hiragana and Katakana.

Hiragana and katakana are japanese syllabaries, this means that each character represents a syllable.

This are the characters you need to know for this lesson:

The hiragana "え" is read as "e". The hiragana "い" is read as "i". The hiragana "な" is read as "na". And The hiragana "が" is read as "ga".