102
長
Long, Leader
なが(い) (nagai)
JLPT N5
Interesting Fact
In ancient East Asia, age was closely associated with wisdom and authority. The person who had lived the longest had witnessed the most events and accumulated the most experience. Over time, the kanji 長 came to mean not only "long" but also "leader" or "chief." In a sense, the leader was often simply the one who had been around the longest.
Memory Trick
A wise elder's hair has grown long over many years. That's 長.
Readings
Onyomi: チョウ (chou)
Kunyomi: なが(い) (nagai)
Example Words
長い
ながい (nagai)
Long
校長
こうちょう (kouchou)
School principal
社長
しゃちょう (shachou)
Company president
長時間
ちょうじかん (choujikan)
Long time
Example Sentence
この橋はとても長いです。
この はし は とても ながい です。
kono hashi wa totemo nagai desu
This bridge is very long.