近 jìn — near, close · English

近

jìn

near, close

At a glance · 近

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

小篆从辵（辶）斤声，形声字，本指距离短。隶楷作「近」。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「近」本指路程近，与「远」相对，引申为接近。

Structure

形声字，辵（辶）为意符，斤为声符。

At a glance

Pinyinjìn

Radical辶

Strokes8

UnicodeU+8FD1

Character type形声

Theme状态

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English near, close Near, close; recent.

Français proche, près Proche, près; récent.

Español cerca, próximo Cerca, próximo; reciente.

العربية قريب قريب أو قريب الزمن.

Русский близкий, близко Близкий, близко; недавний.

Common words

近jìnnear
附近fù jìnnearby

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