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永

On'yomi
エイ
EI
Kun'yomi
なが.い
nagai

eternity · long · lengthy

Details

Strokes5
Frequency#846
Radical水water(4)

Description

Eternity - forever, everlasting, timeless.

Stroke Order

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Strokes5

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

永=
丶水

Dot + water variant

Words & Expressions

Words written with 永

永遠えいえんeternal
永住えいじゅうpermanent residence

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

manga/anime

Story of an elf mage living for eternity

不滅のあなたへ

To Your Eternity

manga/anime

Depicts the journey of an immortal being

ヴァンパイア騎士

Vampire Knight

manga/anime

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

Anime

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

Anime

A well-known work with 永 in its Japanese title.

Games

ファイナルファンタジーXIV

Final Fantasy XIV(2010)

PS/PC

MMORPG eternally expanding with updates

View on Amazon →

エルデンリング

Elden Ring(2022)

PS5/Xbox/PC

Story of 'Queen Marika the Eternal'

View on Amazon →

Related Figures & Stories

狩野永徳

Kanō Eitoku1543–1590

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

Tomohiro Matsunagab. 1980

Name contains 永

Tomohiro Matsunaga is a Japanese freestyle wrestler.

Wikipedia

永倉新八

Nagakura Shinpachi1839–1915

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

Kobayashi Eitaku1843–1890

Name contains 永

Kobayashi Eitaku was a Japanese artist and illustrator specializing in ukiyo-e and nihonga.

Wikipedia

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.

Explore by meaning:eternity · long