遠(とお)く

とおく
noun, adverb
far away, distance
descriptive
1. far away, distant place
A place that is far from here; a remote location.
遠(とお)くへ行(い)きたい。
I want to go far away.
遠(とお)くに山(やま)が見(み)える。
I can see mountains in the distance.
子供(こども)が遠(とお)くに引(ひ)っ越(こ)してしまって、なかなか会(あ)えない。
My child moved far away, so I can't see them very often.
2. from a distance, far
Used adverbially to describe doing something from far away.
遠(とお)くから来(き)ました。
I came from far away.
遠(とお)くから音楽(おんがく)が聞(き)こえてくる。
I can hear music from far away.
遠(とお)くから見(み)ると小(ちい)さく見(み)えるが、近(ちか)くで見(み)ると大(おお)きい。
It looks small from far away, but it's big up close.

遠(とお)く is the ku-form of the i-adjective 遠(とお)い (far). It functions as both a noun meaning 'a distant place' and an adverb meaning 'far away.'

Common patterns

  • 遠(とお)くに: in the distance (location)
  • 遠(とお)くから: from far away (origin)
  • 遠(とお)くへ/に: to a far place (direction)
  • 遠(とお)くまで: all the way to a distant place

This is a common pattern with i-adjectives: the く form can serve as both an adverb and a noun.

Similar words

Opposite of 近(ちか)く (nearby, a nearby place).

Related Words

Antonym: 近(ちか)く (nearby)
Antonym: 近(ちか)く (nearby)
Related: 遠(とお)い (far, distant (the base adjective))
Compare: 遠方(えんぽう) (distant place)
Compare: 遥(はる)か彼方(かなた) (far away)
general
Added 2026.1.9 21:20 · Revised 2026.9.2 12:02
01500/01680_tooku