The character 近 — “near”: how to write it and what it means
near
The Chinese character 近 is read jìn and means “near”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 近
近 has 7 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 近, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 近 is made of
It also has 辶 “walk”.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 近
- 附近nearbyHSK 3
- 最近recentlyHSK 3
- 近日recently, in a few daysHSK 5
- 近期near future / recentlyHSK 5
- 将近nearly, almostHSK 5
- 靠近get close toHSK 5
- 接近approach, be close toHSK 5
- 近代modern times (history)HSK 5
- 近年来in recent yearsHSK 5
- 近视nearsighted; nearsightednessHSK 6
- 近来recently (these days)HSK 6
- 贴近get close to; close toHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 近?
近 has 7 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 近 mean?
近 means “near”. It appears in 附近 (“nearby”), 最近 (“recently”), 近日 (“recently”), 近期 (“near future / recently”).
How do you pronounce 近?
近 is read jìn. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 近 have?
7 strokes.
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 近 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
Start for free