近 meaning and stroke order
Near; close to; approximately
How to write 近, stroke by stroke
7 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
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- 7
Meaning of 近
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- near
- close to
- approximately
How 近 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Walk.
辶 gives the meaning and 斤 hints at the sound.
Radical: 辶 (to walk), shared by 131 characters on this site.
How to remember 近
近 is built from 辶 (walk) and 斤 (jīn), which gives the sound. Picture walking a short way to get near something, and the jīn sound reminds you of jìn.
近 means near or close, in space or time, and often appears as a predicate with 离 (lí): A 离 B 很近. It also forms common words like 附近 (fùjìn) nearby and 最近 (zuìjìn) recently. Example: 我家离学校很近。(Wǒ jiā lí xuéxiào hěn jìn.) My home is very close to school.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 近 (jìn, near) with 进 (jìn, to enter), which has the same sound and the same 辶 radical but 井 inside instead of 斤. Also avoid saying 我家近学校; use 我家离学校很近 instead.
Common words with 近
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 最近 | zuìjìn | recently; soon | HSK 2 |
| 接近 | jiējìn | to approach; to get close to | HSK 3 |
| 将近 | jiāngjìn | almost; nearly | HSK 3 |
| 近期 | jìnqī | near in time; in the near future | HSK 3 |
| 附近 | fùjìn | nearby; neighboring; (in the) vicinity (of); neighborhood | HSK 4 |
| 近代 | jìndài | the not-very-distant past; modern times, excluding recent decades | HSK 4 |
| 靠近 | kàojìn | to be close to; to approach; to draw near | HSK 5 |
| 近来 | jìnlái | recently; lately | HSK 5 |
| 近视 | jìnshì | myopic; nearsighted; (fig.) shortsighted | HSK 6 |
| 近日 | jìnrì | (in) the past few days; recently | HSK 6 |
| 亲近 | qīnjìn | (of people or relationships) close; intimate; to draw close to; to engage with; to become | HSK 7-9 |
| 走近 | zǒujìn | to approach; to draw near to | HSK 7-9 |
| 逼近 | bījìn | to press on towards; to close in on | HSK 7-9 |
| 临近 | línjìn | to approach; to draw near; to be close to (in space or time) | HSK 7-9 |
近 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 近
How many strokes are in 近?
近 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 近 mean?
近 (jìn) means near; close to; approximately. A common word with it is 最近 (zuìjìn), meaning "recently; soon".
How do you pronounce 近?
近 is pronounced jìn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 近?
The radical of 近 is 辶, which carries the idea of "to walk". Dictionaries list 近 under this radical.
Is 近 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 近 is part of the HSK 2 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.
What is the opposite of 近?
The opposite is 远 (yuǎn), far. You will often hear them together, as in 远近 (yuǎnjìn) distance, or 离这儿远吗？(Lí zhèr yuǎn ma?) Is it far from here?
Does 最近 mean nearest or recently?
Usually it means recently, as in 你最近忙吗？(Nǐ zuìjìn máng ma?) Have you been busy lately? It can also mean nearest, as in 最近的地铁站 (zuìjìn de dìtiězhàn) the nearest subway station, so context decides.