Explore 遠 in words for distance and everyday situations. Learn each reading with the whole word.

The idea

遠 has 13 strokes; follow the linked diagram. 遠い（とおい） is an i-adjective; 遠く（とおく） can express a distant place. Compounds such as 遠足（えんそく） and 遠慮（えんりょ） use えん.

Patterns to compare
Japanese wordReadingExample in context
遠いとおいThe station is far from my house.
遠くとおくI can see mountains in the distance.
遠足えんそくTomorrow we will go on a school outing.
遠慮えんりょPlease help yourself without holding back.

Examples

  • 駅えきは家いえから遠とおいです。The station is far from my house.
  • 遠とおくに山やまが見みえます。I can see mountains in the distance.
  • 明日あしたは遠足えんそくに行いきます。Tomorrow we will go on a school outing.
  • 遠慮えんりょしないで、どうぞ。Please help yourself without holding back.
  • 遠とおくから鐘かねの音おとが聞きこえました。The sound of a bell came from far away.
  • 図書館としょかんは公園こうえんより遠とおいです。The library is farther away than the park.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

Do not read every 遠 as とお: the reading depends on the word. 遠慮 means restraint or hesitation, not physical distance.

Try it yourself

  1. Write the reading of 遠い in hiragana.

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    とおい

    遠い is とおい: the station is far from home. Remember the long vowel.

  2. Write the reading of 遠足 in hiragana.

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    えんそく

    遠足 is えんそく: it means a school outing. Learn the compound as a whole.

  3. Choose the missing kanji: ＿慮（えんりょ）［遠／近］.

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    遠

    遠 completes 遠慮（えんりょ）, restraint or hesitation; 近 cannot form this word.

Use it today

Write 遠 using the diagram, cover the table, then read 遠い and 遠足 and make a sentence with one.