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Kotomora

隣

neighboring

JLPTN1StatusJōyō · secondary schoolFrequencyTop 2,000Strokes16

Readings

On'yomi

  • リン

Kun'yomi

  • とな.る
  • となり

Nanori

  • ちか

Meaning

隣 centers on the idea of being next to something else: a neighbor, an adjacent place, or something nearby.

Most common words using 隣

20 of 74
  • 隣となり
    N5

    next (to); adjoining; adjacent

  • 近隣きんりん
    N1

    neighbourhood; neighborhood; vicinity

  • 隣接りんせつ

    adjacency; contiguity; being adjoined

  • 隣人りんじん
    N1

    neighbour; neighbor; (people in the) neighbourhood; neighborhood

  • 隣国りんごく

    neighbouring country; neighboring country; adjacent country

  • 隣り合わせとなりあわせ
    N1

    adjoining each other; next to each other

  • 隣家りんか
    N1

    neighbouring house; neighboring house

  • 両隣りょうどなり

    both sides (on the left and right); both neighbours

  • 隣県りんけん

    neighboring prefecture; adjacent prefecture

  • 隣室りんしつ

    next or adjoining room

  • 隣席りんせき

    next seat; adjacent seat

  • 隣地りんち

    adjoining land

  • 隣組となりぐみ

    tonarigumi; small-scale neighborhood associations established during WWII for fire fighting, policing, etc.

  • 隣村りんそん

    neighboring village; neighbouring village

  • 善隣ぜんりん

    good neighbour; good neighbor

  • 隣り合うとなりあう
    N1

    to adjoin each other; to sit side by side

  • 隣近所となりきんじょ

    neighbors; neighbours; neighborhood; neighbourhood

  • お隣さんおとなりさん

    (next-door) neighbour; neighbor

  • 一軒置いて隣いっけんおいてとなり

    next door but one

  • 三隣亡さんりんぼう

    unlucky day for starting construction of a house (which would result in a fire that spreads to three adjacent houses)

Explore all words using 隣 →

Study

Etymology

隣 combines ⻖ (mound, hill) with 粦, which likely contributes the sound. The mound radical often relates to places, suggesting a neighboring place or area.

Meaning mnemonic

The left side ⻖ looks like a hill or mound, and the right side 粦 resembles a pile of rice grains. Picture two hills side by side, each with its own rice pile, like neighboring villages.

Reading mnemonic

For リン, imagine a ring of neighboring houses all connected: ring -> リン, and each house is next to the other.