far; distant
HSK level
远 is written with 7 strokes. The animation replays automatically.
远 (yuǎn) is the Chinese adjective for 'far' — both literal physical distance and figurative distance (relationships, time, abstraction).
Like all Chinese adjectives, it doesn't need 'is/are' before it: 学校很远 ('the school is far'), with 很 added because Chinese adjectives generally take a degree adverb in plain statements. To ask 'how far?' use 多远: 你家离这儿多远？ ('How far is your home from here?'
). To express distance between two points, use the pattern A 离 B 远/近 — '离' (lí) marks the reference point: 我家离学校很远 ('My home is far from school'). Common compounds include 远方 (yuǎnfāng, 'a faraway place') and the proverb 远亲不如近邻 ('a distant relative is not as good as a close neighbor').
我家离学校很远。
Wǒ jiā lí xuéxiào hěn yuǎn.
My home is very far from the school.
neutral
你家离这儿远不远？
Nǐ jiā lí zhèr yuǎn bu yuǎn?
Is your home far from here?
spoken
去机场的路太远了。
Qù jīchǎng de lù tài yuǎn le.
The road to the airport is too far.
neutral
他来自一个很远的地方。
Tā láizì yí ge hěn yuǎn de dìfang.
He comes from a very faraway place.
neutral
遥远 is more literary/poetic — 'remote / distant.' Use it for 'distant lands,' 'a remote past.' For everyday distance, just say 远.
Looks similar (both have a 元-like component) but 圆 means 'round / circle.' 远 is yuǎn (third tone, far); 圆 is yuán (second tone, round). Tone AND meaning differ.
园 means 'garden / park' (公园 — 'park'). Same enclosed look as 圆, but a 元 inside instead of 员. Don't confuse with 远.
院 means 'courtyard / institution' (医院 — 'hospital'). Different left radical (阝) and meaning, but the right side 完 looks vaguely related. Pin it down by tone (yuàn vs yuǎn) and context.
Acquire it by listening
Fluentide turns real news into Chinese listening at your exact level, so words like 远 show up again and again in natural sentences — with pinyin and translation every time. No flashcards. Free to start.
