How to Write 近 (jìn) — Meaning “near; close”

Imagine you are walking (辶) with an axe (斤) toward a tree that is very near — you don't have to walk far. The word "jìn" sounds like "gin," so picture a bottle of gin sitting nearby on a table. This visual helps link the walking movement and the axe shape to the idea of something close.

Write the top-left part 斤 first: start with a left-falling stroke, then a left-falling stroke, a horizontal stroke, and a vertical stroke (four strokes). After that, add the walk radical 辶: a horizontal folding stroke, then a dot-like top, and finally a long sweeping stroke (捺). A common mistake is making the 斤 too wide — keep it narrow so the walking radical sits comfortably underneath.

All three share the radical 辶 but have different inner components: 近 contains 斤 (axe), 巡 contains 巛 (a triple zigzag), and 边 contains 力 (power). In meaning, 近 means "near" or "close," 巡 means "to patrol" or "to go around," and 边 means "side" or "border." Visually, the inner part of 近 looks like a right-angle shape, while 巡 has three short strokes and 边 has a bent L-shape.

近 is very common in everyday phrases like 最近 (zuì jìn, recently) and 附近 (fù jìn, nearby). It can also mean "to approach" in words like 接近 (jiē jìn, to get close to). Culturally, Chinese people often use 近 to talk about time (recent days) or physical distance (nearby places), and it also appears in expressions for close relationships, such as 亲近 (qīn jìn, to be close to someone).

Common words containing 近 include: 最近 (zuì jìn) — Recently / lately; 附近 (fù jìn) — nearby / vicinity; 接近 (jiē jìn) — to approach / to be close to.