KanjiPad

Kanji for Eternity —

Copy the character and paste it anywhere.
N3–N25 strokes

What 永 means

永 is read ei in compounds and nagai on its own, meaning long, lasting, perpetual. The everyday word for eternity is 永遠 (eien) — 永 with 遠 (distant) — and 永久 (eikyū) covers permanence in legal and technical writing.

Calligraphers hold this character in special regard. The Eight Principles of Yong (永字八法) teach that 永 contains every fundamental brush movement in Chinese and Japanese writing: the dot, the horizontal, the vertical, the hook, the sweeps. Students copy it thousands of times before moving on, which makes it a good first character to practise properly.

The shape derives from a long river branching as it flows — the same source as 水 (water), stretched out. In use: 永住 (eijū) permanent residence, 永続 (eizoku) continuity, 永眠 (eimin) the polite term for passing away, literally “eternal sleep”.

Readings

eternity, long, lengthy
Kun
On

Stroke order

Write 永 in 5 strokes, following the tiles above in order — top to bottom, left to right.

永 as a tattoo

永 tattoos well: five strokes, an obvious centre of gravity, and a meaning that survives translation intact. If you want the word rather than the character, 永遠 (eien) reads as “eternity” with no ambiguity at all. Either way the sweeping strokes at the bottom right are where hand-copied versions go wrong, so draw it on our board and watch the animation once more, then read the kanji tattoo guide.

Words with 永

Keep exploring

Practice writing 永 stroke by stroke, with spaced repetition and quizzes, in the app.