Origin

The character 永 appears to show water (水) flowing downward, with a dot (丶) at the top. Water in its nature flows continuously without end, making it a natural symbol for something that goes on and on. By picturing water's endless movement, the character came to express the idea of eternity and things that are long or endless in duration.

AI-generated (claude-haiku-4-5), not yet reviewed. Formation type (automated guess): Compound ideographic (combined meanings).