How to say "infinity" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 無限むげんnounThe common, general word for infinity as a concept: boundlessness of space, quantity, or extent, and by extension eternity. This is the word you want in most contexts.
- nounThe loanword from English. It is used mainly in names, titles, and the like, or where the English word itself is wanted, rather than as the ordinary term for the concept.
- 無限大むげんだいna-adjective, nounThe term for infinity in mathematics: a value greater than any number, as with the symbol ∞. It also serves figuratively for something boundlessly large, but its core use is mathematical.
- 限り無しきりなしnounLiterally 'no limit' — an expression for boundlessness or endlessness. As a rendering of 'infinity' it is marginal; for the abstract concept, the common word 無限 is the usual choice.
- 塵点劫じんでんごうnounA Buddhist term for an incomprehensibly long stretch of time. It matches 'infinity' only in the sense of vast, unimaginable duration, and is seldom the word you want outside that context.
For 'infinity', 無限 is the common, all-purpose word; 無限大 is the mathematical term; 「インフィニティ」 is the loanword used mainly in names and titles; 「限り無し」 expresses boundlessness; and 塵点劫 is a Buddhist term for an unimaginably long time.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
