远 (yuǎn) · far, distant, remote

Meanings

1 far
2 distant
3 remote
4 by far

Characters

远

yuǎn

far; distant; remote

Walk radical 辶 on the lower-left - distance is something you cover by walking.

Examples

HSK 2

学校离这里远吗？

Xuéxiào lí zhèlǐ yuǎn ma?

Is the school far from here?

HSK 2

不远，走路十分钟。

Bù yuǎn, zǒulù shí fēnzhōng.

Not far - ten minutes on foot.

HSK 3

他来自很远的地方。

Tā láizì hěn yuǎn de dìfang.

He comes from a very far away place.

Tips

grammar

The pattern for asking about distance is A 离 B 远吗？(Is A far from B?). The opposite is 近 (near). In comparisons 远 also works as an intensifier: 远比 / 远超 - "far more than", "by far exceeds".

register

Classical sources list a second reading yuàn (4th tone) meaning "to distance oneself from" - the verbal/causative sense in phrases like 敬而远之 ("respect from a distance"). In modern Mandarin this reading is effectively dead: every dictionary compound, including the "keep at a distance" ones, reads yuǎn. Treat yuàn as a footnote for reading classical texts, not an active reading to learn.

Components

radical

辶 chuò

walk; movement

Walking radical wrapping the lower-left - the simplified left-side form of 辵, three strokes for legs and head in motion. It marks 远 as a verb of going, but paired with the phonetic for "far" it specialises to distance covered by travel. Same radical heads 进, 退, 追, 边 and the rest of the motion family.

phonetic

元 yuán

first; origin

元 supplies the sound, tone-shifted to yuǎn. This is the simplified swap-in for traditional 袁 in 遠 → 远. The same phonetic stem also feeds 园 (garden), 院 (courtyard), 完 (finish) - purely sonic here; the meaning "far" all comes from the walking radical and its long historical use.