Meaning of 近
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- near
- close to
- approximately
How to use 近
近 describes distance in space or time, and it often appears in the pattern A 离 B 很近, meaning A is close to B. It also builds 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 close to school.
近 is built from 辶 (the walking radical) and 斤 (jīn), which also gives the sound jìn. Picture yourself walking only a short way, so the place you are going is near.
Common mistake: Learners often write 近 with the wrong tone, saying jīn like its sound part 斤 instead of the fourth tone jìn. Another common slip is using 从 instead of 离 for distance, as in 我家从学校很近, which should be 我家离学校很近.
近 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
近 jìn · near · 7 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 近.
| 最近 | zuìjìn | recently; soon |
| 接近 | jiējìn | to approach; to get close to |
| 将近 | jiāngjìn | almost; nearly |
| 近期 | jìnqī | near in time; in the near future |
| 附近 | fùjìn | nearby; neighboring; (in the) vicinity (of); neighborhood |
| 近代 | jìndài | the not-very-distant past; modern times, excluding recent decades |
| 靠近 | kàojìn | to be close to; to approach; to draw near |
| 近来 | jìnlái | recently; lately |
| 近视 | jìnshì | myopic; nearsighted; (fig.) shortsighted |
| 近日 | jìnrì | (in) the past few days; recently |
| 亲近 | qīnjìn | (of people or relationships) close; intimate; to draw close to; to engage with; to become |
| 走近 | zǒujìn | to approach; to draw near to |
Questions about 近
What does 近 mean?
近 (jìn) means "near; close to" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 近?
近 is made of 1 character: 近 (7 strokes). That is 7 strokes in total.
Is 近 an HSK word?
Yes. 近 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the opposite of 近?
The opposite is 远 (yuǎn), meaning far. Both words share the walking radical 辶, and they often appear together, as in 远近 (yuǎnjìn), distance.
Does 最近 mean recently or nearest?
In everyday speech, 最近 (zuìjìn) usually means recently, as in 你最近好吗? (How have you been lately?). It can also mean nearest, for example 最近的地铁站 (the nearest subway station), so context decides.