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邇 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
邇ěrnear, close; recentx, 17 strokes, radical 辶
ěr(er3) T3
  1. 1near, close; recent
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026

邇ěr(er3)

The character 邇 (ěr) means 'near' or 'close' in both a physical and metaphorical sense. It is commonly used to describe proximity in location or time, such as being close to someone or something, or referring to recent events.

Strokes17Radical辶
Cultural Note

In traditional Chinese philosophy, the concept of being 'near' is often linked to relationships and harmony, reflecting the importance of proximity in social and familial bonds in Chinese culture.

Memory Tip

Imagine two friends standing side by side, representing closeness. The character 邇 has the radical for 'movement' (阝) suggesting the idea of moving closer together, while the pinyin 'ěr' sounds like 'air,' which you can feel when you're close to someone.

Meanings of 邇

ěr(er3)
1near, close; recent
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 邇

邇Simplified
17Strokes
辶Radical
非语素字non-morpheme character (n-m.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 邇

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Podcast: 邇

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AI Study Notes for 邇

Quick Contrast

近 (jìn) — use 邇 (ěr) for a more formal or literary context, while 近 (jìn) is more commonly used in everyday speech.

Usage Notes

Be cautious of using 邇 in formal contexts; it's more common in literary or poetic language. Common collocations include 邇於 (near to) and 邇年 (recent years). Avoid confusing it with similar-sounding words that convey different meanings.

HSK Study Tips

Although 邇 is not part of the HSK vocabulary list, it is useful for understanding expressions of proximity. Students should focus on how it relates to other words indicating closeness such as 近 (jìn) and 近乎 (jìnhū), which also convey nearness.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 邇 with 远 (yuǎn), which means 'far.' A common mistake is to say 邇 when intending to express distance; the correct usage would be '远.'

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 邇

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Etymology of 邇

Formation Typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Memory Hint

walk

Semantic (meaning)辶
+
Phonetic (sound)爾
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 邇

  1. 1The meaning half辶 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half爾 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawaywalk
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.

Want the full history of 邇? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.

Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.
Exercise 1 of 1

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 邇?

Decomposition of 邇

IDS Structure⿺辶爾
邇Full Character
=
辶chuo4
enclosing
爾er3
inner
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 邇?

How to say near, close; recent in Chinese

“near, close; recent” in Chinese is邇ěr

The character 邇 (ěr) means 'near' or 'close' in both a physical and metaphorical sense. It is commonly used to describe proximity in location or time, such as being close to someone or something, or referring to recent events.

When to use 邇

Be cautious of using 邇 in formal contexts; it's more common in literary or poetic language. Common collocations include 邇於 (near to) and 邇年 (recent years). Avoid confusing it with similar-sounding words that convey different meanings.

邇 or something close to it

近 (jìn) — use 邇 (ěr) for a more formal or literary context, while 近 (jìn) is more commonly used in everyday speech.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 邇 with 远 (yuǎn), which means 'far.' A common mistake is to say 邇 when intending to express distance; the correct usage would be '远.'

Write 邇

邇

Practice writing 邇 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

Write correctly 3 times to earn XP

Word Family of 邇

Words Containing This Character5
闻名遐迩to be famous far and wide (idiom)聞名遐邇
迩ěrnear邇
遐迩near and far遐邇
遐迩闻名famous everywhere遐邇聞名
室迩人遐to long for sb far away室邇人遐
Exercise 1 of 4

Compound Meaning

What does 闻名遐迩 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 邇

邇 is more commonly found in written Chinese, especially in literature, rather than in everyday spoken language.

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