Japanese word

近い

Pronunciation

Romajichikai

Meaning

  • i-adjectivenear

Example

学校は近いです。gak kō wa chika i de su

The school is near.

Illustration for 近い (near)

More examples

公園は駅に近いです。kō en wa eki ni chika i de su

The park is near the station.

駅が近いので、歩いて行けます。eki ga chika i no de aru i te i ke ma su

Because the station is near, I can walk there.

Core concept

Marks physical closeness by presenting the gap between things as small.

Common phrases

  • 駅に近いeki ni chika i

    be near the station

  • 家から近いie ka ra chika i

    be close to home

Definition in Japanese

ある場所や物から隔たりが少ない。a ru ba sho ya mono ka ra heda ta ri ga suku na i

Word origin

The native adjective 近い (chikai) continues the older adjective 近し (chikashi), while the modern form reflects the historical attributive form 近き (chikaki), meaning "near".

Usage tips

  • Because 近い (chikai) is an i-adjective, it can directly modify a noun in 近い駅 (chikai eki), meaning "a nearby station."

Opposites

Related words

  • 近さchikasanearnessnoun

Word lists with this word