天 — Kanji Reference
天 (heaven, sky): 4 strokes, JLPT N5. On: テン. Kun: あめ、あま.
天
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Meaning | heaven, sky |
| Strokes | 4 |
| JLPT Level | N5 |
| On-reading (音読み) | テン |
| Kun-reading (訓読み) | あめ、あま |
| Radical | 大 (dai - big) [U+5927] |
Stroke Order
The character 天 follows standard Japanese stroke order rules: top-to-bottom and left-to-right.
- Stroke 1: A short horizontal line at the top.
- Stroke 2: A second, slightly longer horizontal line below the first.
- Stroke 3: A left-slanting stroke (払 - harai) starting from the center of the second stroke.
- Stroke 4: A right-slanting stroke (捺 - natsu) starting from the same intersection as stroke 3.
Radical Analysis
The radical for 天 is 大 (big). Historically, 天 is a pictograph of a person (大) with a line drawn over their head to represent the vast, infinite sky or heaven above them. The "big" radical here emphasizes the vastness of the heavens.
Mnemonic
Imagine a person (大) standing on the ground. They are so tall that they can reach up and touch the sky (天) with their head. The two horizontal lines represent the layers of the clouds or the heavens above the person.
On-readings (音読み) with Examples
テン (Ten)
| Word | Reading | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 天気 | てんき | tenki | weather |
| 天国 | てんごく | tengoku | heaven / paradise |
| 天才 | てんさい | tensai | genius |
| 天皇 | てんのう | tennō | Emperor of Japan |
Kun-readings (訓読み) with Examples
あめ (Ame)
Note: This reading is archaic or poetic, often referring to the sky or heaven in classical contexts.
| Word | Reading | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 天つ神 | あまつかみ | amatsu-kami | heavenly gods |
あま (Ama)
Note: Used primarily in compound words related to the heavens or sky.
| Word | Reading | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 天の川 | あまのがわ | amanogawa | The Milky Way |
JLPT N5 Words Using 天
| Word | Reading | Romaji | English | JLPT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 天気 | てんき | tenki | weather | N5 |
| 天気予報 | てんきよほう | tenkiyohō | weather forecast | N4 |
| 天国 | てんごく | tengoku | heaven | N3 |
| 天才 | てんさい | tensai | genius | N3 |
| 天井 | てんじょう | tenjō | ceiling | N3 |
| 天候 | てんこう | tenkō | weather (climate) | N2 |
| 天体 | てんたい | tentai | celestial body | N2 |
| 天然 | てんねん | tennen | natural | N2 |
Example Sentences
| Japanese | Reading | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 今日はいい天気ですね。 | きょうはいいてんきですね。 | Kyō wa ii tenki desu ne. | The weather is nice today, isn't it? |
| 夜空に天の川が見える。 | よぞらにあまのがわがみえる。 | Yozora ni amanogawa ga mieru. | I can see the Milky Way in the night sky. |
| 彼は数学の天才だ。 | かれはすうがくのてんさいだ。 | Kare wa sūgaku no tensai da. | He is a genius at mathematics. |
| 天国のような場所だった。 | てんごくのようなばしょだった。 | Tengoku no yō na basho datta. | It was a place like heaven. |
| 天井に虫がいる。 | てんじょうにむしがいる。 | Tenjō ni mushi ga iru. | There is a bug on the ceiling. |
| 天気予報によると雨だ。 | てんきよほうによるとあめだ。 | Tenkiyohō ni yoru to ame da. | According to the weather forecast, it will rain. |
Common Confusion Pairs
| Kanji | Reading | Meaning | How to distinguish |
|---|---|---|---|
| 天 | テン | Heaven/Sky | Has a horizontal line above the "person" shape. |
| 夫 | フ / おっと | Husband | The top stroke is a horizontal line, but it does not have the second horizontal line; it looks like a person with a "head" bar. |
| 夭 | ヨウ | Young/Die young | The top part is a "katakana" no (ノ) shape, not a horizontal line. |
Usage Frequency Note
天 is a high-frequency kanji. It is essential for daily life, primarily appearing in the word tenki (weather). It is used in both formal writing and casual speech. You will encounter it daily in weather reports, news, and general conversation.