近 — “near” in Japanese

Grade 2きん, ちか

Radical ⾡ · radical 162 The building block this kanji is filed under

“near” in Japanese is 近, read kin, chika (きん, ちか). It is a Grade 2 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 2 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 近所 (neighborhood).

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What does 近 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	近
Meaning	near
Readings	きん, ちか
Grade	Grade 2 (Easy)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	近所 (neighborhood)

How to read 近

近 is read kin (きん) or chika (ちか) depending on the word.

Words with 近

近年きんねん
最近さいきん
接近せっきん
近所
付近
近畿

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Kanji read the same way as 近

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28