遠く
Meanings
noun, adverb, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'
far away; a distant place; a great distance
Spatial use. Functions as an adverb with verbs of seeing, going, living, etc., and as a noun or の-adjective in phrases such as 遠くに and 遠くの.
I can see mountains in the distance.
He moved to a distant town.
long ago; far back; far into the future
Temporal use, often in somewhat written or formal phrasing, meaning far back in time or extending far ahead into later times.
The history of this temple goes back as far as the Nara period.
Its influence extended far into later generations.
by far; far and away; nowhere near
Intensifying adverb for comparison, especially in set-like phrases such as 遠く及ばない, meaning to fall far short, and with verbs such as 上回る.
See also: 遠く及ばない
My ability is nowhere near his.
The new record far surpassed the previous one.
Usage patterns
- 遠くに〈物〉が見えるsomething can be seen in the distance
You can see mountains in the distance.
- 遠く〈時〉まで遡るto go back as far as a distant time in history
This custom goes back as far as the Edo period.
- 〈数〉を遠く上回るto far exceed a number or amount
Sales far exceeded the target.
- 遠くから来るto come from far away
He came from far away.
- 遠くの〈場所〉に住むto live in a distant place
My grandmother lives in a distant town.
Expressions· 7
- 遥か遠くfar away in the distance; in the far distance
- 遠くに霞むloom in the distance; be hazy in the distance
- 気が遠くなるfaint; lose consciousness · feel dazed; feel overwhelmed; feel exhausted; lose one's mind
- 気の遠くなるfaint-inducing; dizzying · overwhelming; mind-numbing; staggering
- 遠く及ばないfall far short; be no match for; be far inferior
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- 遠くの親戚より近くの他人a neighbour is better than a relative living far away
- 遠くの親類より近くの他人a neighbor is better than a distant relative