Japanese symbol for “long”
長い
ながい
Romaji: nagai
long (distance, length)
In Japanese, long is 長い, read ながい (nagai).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- adj-i long (distance, length)
- adj-i long (time); protracted; prolonged
Written forms: 長い、永い. Readings: ながい、ながーい、なっがい、なげー.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “long”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 長らく | ながらく nagaraku | long; (for a) long time |
| 久しい | ひさしい hisashii | long (time that has passed); old (story) |
| 日頃 | ひごろ higoro | long (of time); old; long-standing |
| 長 | なが naga | long |
| 古い | ふるい furui | long; since long ago; time-honored |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 成長 | せいちょう seichou | growth; development; growing up |
| 社長 | しゃちょう shachou | company president; manager; director |
| 会長 | かいちょう kaichou | president (of a society); chairman |
| 身長 | しんちょう shinchou | height (of a person); stature |
| 市長 | しちょう shichou | mayor |
See also: Chinese symbol for “long”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.