近眼(きんがん)

きんがん
noun
nearsightedness; myopia
1. nearsightedness; myopia; shortsightedness
A condition where distant objects appear blurry because the eye focuses images in front of the retina rather than on it. Also used to refer to a person who is nearsighted.
私(わたし)は近眼(きんがん)です。
I am nearsighted.
近眼(きんがん)がひどくて、メガネなしでは生活(せいかつ)できない。
My nearsightedness is so bad that I can't get by without glasses.
子供(こども)のころからゲームのやりすぎで近眼(きんがん)になってしまった。
I became nearsighted from playing too many video games since childhood.

Composed of 近(きん) (near) + 眼(がん) (eye). A common everyday word, especially relevant in Japan where myopia rates are among the highest in the world.

ALTERNATIVE READING:
Also read as きんめ in older or dialectal usage, though きんがん is standard.

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 近眼(きんがん)になる: to become nearsighted
  • 近眼(きんがん)がひどい: to have bad nearsightedness
  • 近眼(きんがん)の人(ひと): a nearsighted person
  • 近眼(きんがん)を矯正(きょうせい)する: to correct nearsightedness

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • 近視(きんし): myopia — the more technical/medical synonym, used in formal contexts
  • 遠視(えんし): farsightedness — the opposite condition
  • 乱視(らんし): astigmatism — another common vision condition

Related Words

Antonym: 遠視(えんし) (farsightedness)
general
Added 2026.3.29 21:59
20000/20407_kingan