long time, old story
On'yomi (音読み)
- キュウ
- ク
Kun'yomi (訓読み)
- ひさ.しい
About this kanji
The kanji 久 primarily means "long time" or "old story," and it is often used to refer to events that happen after a significant gap. It can function as a noun or be part of verbs. A common word is 久しぶり (ひさしぶり), which means "a long time (since the last time)" and is used when you haven’t seen someone in a while. Other compounds include 恒久 (こうきゅう), meaning "permanence," and 耐久 (たいきゅう), which refers to "endurance." A usage note: when you say 久しぶり to someone, it carries a sense of warmth and familiarity, making it a friendly greeting.
Example sentences
久しぶりに友人に会った。
I met a friend after a long time.
Meanings across languages
- English
- long time, old story
- Tiếng Việt
- thời gian dài, câu chuyện cũ
- 日本語
- 長い時間, 古い話
- 한국어
- 오래, 옛 이야기
- 中文
- 长时间, 旧故事
- id
- waktu lama
- th
- เวลานาน
- es
- largo tiempo
- fr
- longtemps
- de
- lange Zeit
- pt
- muito tempo
Common compounds
- 久しぶりひさしぶりa long time (since the last time), first in a long time, it's been a long time
- 恒久こうきゅうpermanence, perpetuity
- 持久じきゅうendurance, persistence
- 耐久たいきゅうendurance, persistence
- 永久えいきゅうeternity, permanence, perpetuity
- 久々ひさびさ(in a) long time, long time (ago), while (ago)
- 久しいひさしいlong (time that has passed), old (story)
- 耐久性たいきゅうせいdurability
Want to actually learn this kanji?
The dictionary is one view. The Kanji 360 app wraps every character with mnemonic images, audio readings, stroke-order animation, story context, and SRS scheduling — free to start on iPhone, iPad, and Android.