- How is “Forever” pronounced in Japanese?
- The different ways “Forever” can be expressed in Japanese characters and symbols
- What words are in the Japanese symbol for “Forever” Used In?
- Stroke order for writing the characters in Japanese “Forever” and associated symbols.
- Historical forms of the chinese character for “Forever”
- How is “Forever” expressed in Chinese?
- Should you get “Forever” done as a tattoo in Japanese lettering?
How is “Forever” pronounced in Japanese?
The most common word for “Forever” in Japanese is e永遠 “Eien”.
The Japanese symbol is composed of two kanji.
永 means eternity, permanence, or perpetuity
遠 or 遠い means far, distant, or a long way off.
Even though Japan’s most dominant religions are Buddhism and Shinto, concepts such as “eternity”, or “eternal love”, or a life after death are still pretty commonly understood ideas.
The English words “Forever” and “Eternity” have slight differences in usage in English, but they are generally used fairly similarly in Japanese as eien.
The different ways “Forever” can be expressed in Japanese characters and symbols
- 延々(Enen)
Forever, endlessly, on and on. 延 alone is read as nobiru(延びる) which means prolong, or stretching. It refers to time that someone who thought the moment would go on forever.
Example sentences:
テントの中で明け方まで延々とおしゃべりをしました。
Tento no naka de akegata made enen to oshaberi wo shimashita.
We talked endlessly until dawn in the tent.
延々と続く車の列があった。
Enen to tsutzuku kuruma no retsu ga atta.
There was a long line of cars.
彼のスピーチは延々と続いた。
Kare no supiichi wa enen to tsutzuita.
His speech went on forever.
- 末永く(Suenagaku)
Forever, everlastingly, for many years to come, ever.
Example sentences:
客人たちはその幸せな夫婦が末永く裕福な人生を送ることを祈った。
Kyakujintachi wa sono shiawasena fuufu ga suenagaku yuufukuna jinsei wo okuru koto wo inotta.
The guests wished the happy couple a long and prosperous life.
末永く、楽しい日々を送られますようお祈りします。
Suenagaku, tanoshii hibi wo okuraremasu you oinori shimasu.
I pray that you will have a long and happy life.
彼は末永く記憶に残るだろう。
Kare wa suenagaku kioku ni nokoru darou.
He will always be remembered.
- 無限(Mugen)
Means infinity, infinitude or eternity. But usually, mugen is used on figures or numbers.
Example sentences:
天然資源は無限に存在するわけではない。
Tennenshigen wa mugen ni sonzai suru wake dewa nai.
Natural resources are not limitless.
人間は無限の潜在能力を持っている。
Ningen wa mugen no senzai nouryoku wo motte iru.
Human beings are gifted with infinite potential.
あなたは芸術家としての無限の可能性を秘めている。
Anata wa geijutsu toshite no mugen no kanousei wo himete iru.
You have infinite possibilities as an artist.
What words are in the Japanese symbol for “Forever” Used In?
- 永久(Eikyuu)
Eternity, Permanence, perpetuity. This can also means Eikyuu era.
Example sentences:
化石燃料は永久に利用できるわけない。
Kasekinenryou wa eikyuu ni riyou dekiru wake nai.
Fossil fuels won’t be available forever.
青い色は喜びの源として源として神によって永久に定められている。
Aoi iro wa yorokobi no minamoto toshite kami ni yotte eikyuu ni sadamerarete iru.
The blue color is forever ordained by God as a source of joy.
良書は最良の友であり、今日も今後も永久に同じである。
Ryousho wa sairyou no tomo de ari, kyou mo kongo mo eikyuu ni onajide aru.
A good book is your best friend, and it will be the same today and forever.
- 永久歯(Eikyuushi)
Means Permanent tooth.
Example sentences:
乳歯が抜けないうちに後ろから永久歯がはえて来ました。
Nyuushi ga nukenai uchi ni ushiro kara eikyuushi ga haetekimashita.
Before the baby teeth fell out, the permanent teeth erupted from behind.
息子の乳歯が永久歯に変わりました。
Musuko no nyuushi ga eikyuushi ni kawarimashita.
My son’s milk teeth have changed to permanent teeth.
娘の永久歯がはえて来ました。
Musume no eikyuushi ga haite kimashita.
My daughter’s permanent tooth is coming out.
- 永々(Naganaga)
Naganaga has an alternate kanji of 長々 which also means “long”, or “drawn-out”.
Example sentences:
彼の日記は出来事の羅列に近かった。もっとも時には、永々と記述することもあった。
Kare no nikki wa dekigoto no raretsu ni chikakatta. Motto mo toki ni wa, naganaga to kijutsu suru koto mo atta.
His diary was more or less a list of events. Sometimes, though, I would write for a long time.
彼は現代生活の複雑性について永々と話した。
Kare wa gendai seikatsu no fukuzatsu sei ni tsuite naganaga to hanashita.
He spoke at length about the complexities of modern life.
長々と協議した末に、売手と買手は結局折り合った。
Naganaga to kyōgi shita sue ni, urite to kaite wa kekkyoku oriatta.
After lengthy discussions, the seller and buyer eventually came to an agreement.
Stroke order for writing the characters in Japanese “Forever” and associated symbols.
- 延々
- 末永く
- 無限
- 永々
- 永久
- 永久歯
Historical forms of the chinese character for “Forever”
How is “Forever” expressed in Chinese?
永远(Yǒngyuǎn) is how “Forever” in Chinese language. Most likely the first symbol has the same meaning as the Japanese symbol 永. While the Japanese symbol 遠 is derived from Chinese symbol 远 which also means “Far”, or “away”.
Should you get “Forever” done as a tattoo in Japanese lettering?
It’s fairly common to see on instagram, or anywhere on the internet, eien 永遠 or even just 永 to symbolize eternity or forever. There’s really nothing to stop you getting this as a tattoo. Indeed, it is quite “meta” to get permanent ink of something so permanent!
Neither “forever” or “eternity” have any negative or other meaning that can be misunderstood, so they are relatively safe choices for tattooing.
Chinese and Japanese symbols, despite being slightly different in how they have changed form over time, generally have the same or similar meanings (with exceptions!). There is no great chance of the characters for “forever” or “eternity” having a different meaning in the different languages, so you can sleep soundly!
Plus it does look like a slick tattoo aesthetically, IMHO.
Contributor
Article by Dhanie James Perez
Japanoscope uses affiliate links, which means that commissions may be received when you click on links to products from partner retailers.
