永 — “eternal” in Japanese

Grade 5えい, なが

Radical ⽔ · radical 85 The building block this kanji is filed under

“eternal” in Japanese is 永, read ei, naga (えい, なが). It is a Grade 5 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 5 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 永遠 (eternity).

Try it now

What does 永 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	永
Meaning	eternal
Readings	えい, なが
Grade	Grade 5 (Hard)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	永遠 (eternity)

How to read 永

永 is read ei (えい) or naga (なが) depending on the word.

Words with 永

永遠えいえん
永久

Learn 永 in real sentences — free

Read stories and news built from only the kanji you already know. KanjiSchool’s path covers all 2,136 Jōyō kanji — 1,018 ready to learn now.

Start free — no credit card →

Kanji read the same way as 永

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

Read this character in a real sentence

🎋 七夕と天の川の物語 Grade 5

Updated: 2026-08-28