Readings: エン (Onyomi), とお.い (Kunyomi)
Meaning: Far, distant
The kanji 遠 combines 袁 (えん) representing “round” or “distant,” and 辶 (しんにょう), the radical for “walk” or “road.” Together, they suggest walking a long, round, or distant path, leading to the meaning of “far” or “distant.”
View JLPT N3 Kanji ListHow to Write – Stroke Order
The kanji 遠 has 13 strokes. It starts with the upper part of the 袁 component (strokes 1-6), followed by the lower part (strokes 7-10), and finally the 辶 (shinnyou) radical on the left (strokes 11-13). The 辶 radical is written with 3 strokes, with the long sweeping stroke at the end.
Kanji Details
| Radical | 辶 |
|---|---|
| Strokes | 13 |
| JLPT Level | N3 |
| Grade | 2 |
Readings with English Transcription
Onyomi (Chinese readings)
- エン (En)
Kunyomi (Japanese readings)
- とお.い (too.i)
Common Words Using 遠
Onyomi Readings
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 遠足 | えんそく | excursion, school trip |
| 遠近 | えんきん | far and near, distance |
| 永遠 | えいえん | eternity, perpetuity |
| 遠視 | えんし | farsightedness, hyperopia |
| 遠洋 | えんよう | ocean, high seas |
| 遠隔 | えんかく | remote, distant |
| 遠征 | えんせい | expedition, away game |
| 遠距離 | えんきょり | long distance |
| 遠雷 | えんらい | distant thunder |
| 遠方 | えんぽう | distant place, far away |
Kunyomi Readings
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 遠い | とおい | far, distant |
| 遠回り | とおまわり | detour, roundabout way |
| 遠ざかる | とおざかる | to go far away, to recede |
| 遠のく | とおのく | to become distant, to fade away |
| 遠見 | とおみ | looking from a distance |
| 遠目 | とおめ | distant view, from a distance |
| 遠出 | とおで | distant outing, long trip |
| 遠吠え | とおぼえ | distant howl |
| 遠い昔 | とおいむかし | long, long ago |
| 遠く | とおく | far, in the distance (adverbial form) |
Example Sentences
Japanese: 彼の家は学校から遠い。
Kana: かれのいえはがっこうからとおい。
Romaji: Kare no ie wa gakkō kara tooi.
English: His house is far from school.
Japanese: 遠足で山に登りました。
Kana: えんそくでやまにのぼりました。
Romaji: Ensoku de yama ni noborimashita.
English: We climbed a mountain on the school trip.
Japanese: 彼女の夢は永遠に続くでしょう。
Kana: かのじょのゆめはえいえんにつづくでしょう。
Romaji: Kanojo no yume wa eien ni tsuzuku deshō.
English: Her dream will probably last forever.
Japanese: 遠い昔の出来事を思い出しました。
Kana: とおいむかしのできごとをおもいだしました。
Romaji: Tooi mukashi no dekigoto o omoidashimashita.
English: I remembered events from long ago.
Japanese: 遠くから汽車の音が聞こえます。
Kana: とおくからきしゃのおとがきこえます。
Romaji: Tōku kara kisha no oto ga kikoemasu.
English: I can hear the sound of the train from afar.
Japanese: 彼は遠視なので眼鏡が必要です。
Kana: かれはえんしなのでめがねがひつようです。
Romaji: Kare wa enshi nanode megane ga hitsuyō desu.
English: He is farsighted, so he needs glasses.
Japanese: このボタンで遠隔操作ができます。
Kana: このボタンでえんかくそうさができます。
Romaji: Kono botan de enkaku sōsa ga dekimasu.
English: You can operate it remotely with this button.
Japanese: 遠回りせずにまっすぐ行きましょう。
Kana: とおまわりせずにまっすぐいきましょう。
Romaji: Tōmawairi sezu ni massugu ikimashō.
English: Let’s go straight without taking a detour.
Japanese: 星は私たちからとても遠い存在です。
Kana: ほしはわたしたちからとてもとおいそんざいです。
Romaji: Hoshi wa watashitachi kara totemo tooi sonzai desu.
English: Stars are very distant presences from us.
Japanese: 故郷を遠く離れて暮らしています。
Kana: こきょうをとおくはなれてくらしています。
Romaji: Kokyō o tōku hanarete kurashiteimasu.
English: I live far away from my hometown.
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