Everlasting

by Nao

naga-i, ei

This character means everlasting.  Naga-i is an adjective meaning long. Eimin is eternal sleep or death. Min means sleep.

Two words mean eternity. One is eien; the other is eikyū. The en of eien means far. It’s difficult to tell the difference between these words. They are subtle. If there are some nuances, the former relates to eternal existence while the latter relates to something maintained forever.

Eijū means permanent residence. Jū means residence. The right of permanent residence is eijūken. Ken means the right.

This character includes eight basic strokes that you can apply when you draw other characters. This is called ei ji hap pō. Pō means rules or ways.

Eight basic rules are the following:

#1  the dot
#2  the horizontal line
#3  the vertical line
#4  the upward turn at the bottom
#5  the short horizontal line
#6  the sweeping stroke (from the center to the lower left corner)
#7  the short sweeping stroke (from the upper right corner to the center)
#8  the sweeping stroke to the lower right

Here is the stoke order.

1. Draw the dot on the top. (#1)
2. Draw the stroke at the center. (#2-4)
3. Draw the stroke on the left. (#5-6)
4. Draw the sweeping stroke. (#7)
5. Draw the sweeping stroke. Make this broader at the bottom. (#8)