Details
Description
Eternity - forever, everlasting, timeless.
Stroke Order
Cultural Context
Etymology
Shape of river flowing continuously. Water flowing eternally.
Symbolism
Eternity, permanence, unchanging. Represents existence beyond time.
Spiritual Meaning
Represents eternal time, symbolizing spiritual permanence like immortality of soul and perpetuity of Buddhist law.
Component Breakdown
Dot + water variant
Words & Expressions
Words written with 永
Four-Character Compounds
永世中立
えいせいちゅうりつ
permanent neutrality
未来永劫
みらいえいごう
forevermore; for eternity
永久不変
えいきゅうふへん
permanence; forever unchanging
永劫回帰
えいごうかいき
eternal recurrence; eternal return
永字八法
えいじはっぽう
Eight Principles of Yong; principles for writing the eight basic brush strokes in Chinese characters
永代供養
えいたいくよう
services performed in perpetuity by a Buddhist temple for the repose of a departed soul
永垂不朽
えいすいふきゅう
one's fame or achievements being passed down eternally
永遠の命
えいえんのいのち
Eternal life; Life that lasts forever
Anime & Manga
葬送のフリーレン
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End
Story of an elf mage living for eternity
不滅のあなたへ
To Your Eternity
Depicts the journey of an immortal being
ヴァンパイア騎士
Vampire Knight
Romance story of vampires living eternally
ヴァイオレット・エヴァーガーデン 外伝~永遠と自動手記人形~
Violet Evergarden: Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll
A well-known work with 永 in its Japanese title.
劇場版 銀魂 完結篇 万事屋よ永遠なれ
Gintama: The Final Chapter - Be Forever Yorozuya
A well-known work with 永 in its Japanese title.
Games
Related Figures & Stories
狩野永徳
Name contains 永
Kanō Eitoku was a Japanese painter who lived during the Azuchi–Momoyama period of Japanese history and one of the most prominent patriarchs of the…
Wikipedia松永共広
Name contains 永
Tomohiro Matsunaga is a Japanese freestyle wrestler.
Wikipedia永倉新八
Name contains 永
Nagakura Shinpachi was the captain of the 2nd troop of the Shinsengumi, He was later known as Sugimura Yoshie during the Meiji era.
Wikipedia小林永濯
Name contains 永
Kobayashi Eitaku was a Japanese artist and illustrator specializing in ukiyo-e and nihonga.
WikipediaOther kanji with the same meaning
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 永 mean in Japanese?
永 means eternity, long, lengthy. Eternity - forever, everlasting, timeless.
How do you read 永?
On'yomi: エイ (EI). Kun'yomi: なが.い (nagai).
How many strokes does 永 have?
永 has 5 strokes. Its radical is 水 (water).
Is 永 a good kanji for a tattoo?
永 is one of the kanji most often chosen for tattoos. It means eternity, long, lengthy. Read the full meaning and cultural background on this page first — some popular choices are deliberately dark.