The Japanese kanji for eternity: 永

漢字 Kanji 34 of 40

The kanji for eternity: 永

Water flowing on without end. The 'eight ways of 永' are the first lesson in brush calligraphy — every basic stroke is in this one character.

永
Meaning
eternal, long
Kun reading
naga(i) (Japanese)
On reading
EI (from Chinese)
Strokes
5
Put 永 on a tee

書き順Stroke order

永 is written in 5 strokes, in this order. The red line is the new stroke at each step. Japanese is written top to bottom and left to right, and the order matters: it is what makes handwriting flow.

    Stroke data from KanjiVG by Ulrich Apel, CC BY-SA 3.0.

    使い方In everyday Japanese

    Word Reading Meaning
    永遠 eien eternity, forever
    永久 eikyū permanence

    敬意Wearing it

    Eternal. Calm and classic, and every calligrapher has practised it.

    Every kanji in 5C5V Studio is checked for meaning and context. Read our Respect Notes.

    工房 Made just for you

    Wear 永

    Open 5C5V Studio, pick 永 from the kanji, choose a tee, hoodie, cap or beanie, and see it mocked up before you buy. Printed or embroidered, made to order.