Japanese word

永遠

Pronunciation

Romajieien

Meaning

  • nounforever

Example

私たちの友情は永遠に続きます。watashi ta chi no yū jō wa ei en ni tsuzu ki ma su

Our friendship will last forever.

Illustration for 永遠 (forever)

More examples

この景色を永遠に覚えていたいです。ko no keshiki o ei en ni obo e te i ta i de su

I want to remember this view forever.

Core concept

Presents time as having no endpoint, so something continues without limit.

Common phrases

  • 永遠の愛ei en no ai

    eternal love

  • 永遠にei en ni

    forever

Similar words

永久eikyū: A lasting state that continues forever without coming to an end.

Definition in Japanese

時間に終わりがなく、いつまでも続くこと。ji kan ni o wa ri ga na ku i tsu ma de mo tsuzu ku ko to

Word origin

The Sino-Japanese compound 永遠 (eien) combines 永 (ei, "lasting") and 遠 (en, "far"), expressing something that continues far beyond an endpoint.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Japanese, 永遠に (eien ni) commonly means "forever," while 永遠の (eien no) comes before a noun such as friendship or love.

Other meanings

  • permanencenoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 永遠性eienseipermanencenoun

Word lists with this word