(えいえん)

えいえん
noun/no-adjective
eternity, forever, permanence
1. eternity, forever
Time without end, lasting forever.
永遠(えいえん)(あい)(ちか)
To vow eternal love.
永遠(えいえん)(わす)れない
I'll never forget.
永遠(えいえん)(いのち)
Eternal life.
2. permanence, perpetuity
The state of lasting indefinitely.
To wish for lasting peace.
永遠(えいえん)問題(もんだい)だ。
It's a perpetual problem.
It is said that art has enduring value.

永遠(えいえん) expresses the concept of eternity or forever. It has an emotional, sometimes poetic quality, often appearing in contexts of love, memory, and ideals.

FORMS:

  • Noun: 永遠(えいえん) (eternity)
  • No-adjective: 永遠(えいえん)の (eternal)
  • Adverb: 永遠(えいえん)に (eternally, forever)

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 永遠(えいえん)(あい): eternal love
  • 永遠(えいえん)(いのち): eternal life
  • 永遠(えいえん)(わす)れない: will never forget
  • 永遠(えいえん)(つづ)く: to last forever
  • 永遠(えいえん)テーマ(てーま): an eternal/timeless theme

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • 永遠(えいえん): eternity (emotional/poetic — love, memory)
  • 永久(えいきゅう): permanence (factual/technical — 永久(えいきゅう)凍土(とうど), permafrost)
  • ずっと: always, forever (casual everyday word)
  • 一生(いっしょう): all one's life, lifetime

NUANCE:
永遠(えいえん) is more literary and emotional than ずっと. Songs, literature, and wedding vows favor 永遠(えいえん), while ずっと is the everyday equivalent.