How to say “far” in Japanese

遠い

とおいtōi

い-adjectiveJLPT N5Adjectives

The short answer

“Far” in Japanese is 遠い (とおい), pronounced tōi.

Pronunciation

The word has 3 beats (morae), each about the same length. Tap a syllable to hear it, or play the whole word:

How to use it

Far or distant. Note the long o: とおい.

Example sentences

空港は遠いです。くうこうはとおいです。
The airport is far.
遠くないですよ。とおくないですよ。
It’s not far.

Conjugation

The most useful forms of 遠い. The rules are explained in い- vs. な-adjectives.

Form	Japanese	Meaning
Plain	遠いとおい	far
Polite present	遠いですとおいです	is far
Negative	遠くないですとおくないです	isn’t far
Past	遠かったですとおかったです	was far
Past negative	遠くなかったですとおくなかったです	wasn’t far
て-form	遠くてとおくて	far and…
Adverb (く)	遠くとおく	adverb form (+ verb)

Quick practice

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What does {{遠い}} mean?
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Which word means “scary”?

強いstrong 弱いweak 若いyoung 可愛いcute 怖いscary 甘いsweet 辛いspicy 嬉しいhappy

FAQ

How do you say far in Japanese?

Far in Japanese is 遠い (とおい), pronounced “tōi”.

How do you write far in Japanese?

It's written 遠い with kanji, or とおい in hiragana. Both are read tōi.

Is 遠い on the JLPT?

Yes. 遠い (tōi) is a common word at JLPT N5 level, so it's worth learning early.