雨 — Kanji Reference

雨 (rain): 8 strokes, JLPT N5. On: ウ. Kun: あめ、あま.

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雨

Property Value
Meaning rain
Strokes 8
JLPT Level N5
On-reading (音読み) ウ
Kun-reading (訓読み) あめ、あま
Radical 雨 (あめかんむり - Rain radical, U+96E8)

Stroke Order

The kanji 雨 follows standard top-to-bottom, left-to-right rules. It is a "crown" (かんむり) radical, meaning it sits atop other characters.

  1. Stroke 1: Top horizontal line (slightly slanted).
  2. Stroke 2: The left vertical line.
  3. Stroke 3: The top-right corner (horizontal then vertical).
  4. Stroke 4: The middle horizontal line inside the box.
  5. Stroke 5: The central vertical line.
  6. Stroke 6: The left dot.
  7. Stroke 7: The middle dot.
  8. Stroke 8: The right dot (or the final stroke of the internal design).

Radical Analysis

The kanji 雨 is a pictograph. It represents a window or the sky with raindrops falling down.

  • The Radical: The entire character is the radical itself (雨部). When used as a component on top of other kanji, it is called ame-kanmuri.
  • Meaning Contribution: Any kanji containing this radical usually relates to weather or atmospheric phenomena (e.g., 雪 yuki - snow, 雲 kumo - cloud, 雷 kaminari - thunder).

Mnemonic

Imagine the top horizontal line is the sky. The box is a window frame, and the four dots inside are raindrops falling down through the window pane. When you see this shape, think: "Rain is falling through the window!"

On-readings (音読み) with Examples

ウ (U)

Word Reading Romaji English
雨天 雨う天てん uten rainy weather
雨量 雨う量りょう uryou rainfall
梅雨 梅つゆ雨う tsuyu rainy season

Kun-readings (訓読み) with Examples

あめ (ame)

Word Reading Romaji English
大雨 大おお雨あめ ooame heavy rain
小雨 小こ雨さめ kosame light rain

あま (ama)

Word Reading Romaji English
雨具 雨あま具ぐ amagu rain gear
雨戸 雨あま戸ど amado storm shutter

JLPT N5 Words Using 雨

Word Reading Romaji English JLPT
雨 雨あめ ame rain N5
雨の日 雨あめの日ひ ame no hi rainy day N5
大雨 大おお雨あめ ooame heavy rain N4
雨天 雨う天てん uten rainy weather N3
梅雨 梅つゆ雨う tsuyu rainy season N3
雨具 雨あま具ぐ amagu rain gear N3
雨戸 雨あま戸ど amado storm shutter N2
降雨 降こう雨う kouu rainfall N2

Example Sentences

Japanese Reading Romaji English
今日は雨が降っています。 今日きょうは雨あめが降ふっています。 Kyou wa ame ga futte imasu. It is raining today.
雨がやみました。 雨あめがやみました。 Ame ga yamimashita. The rain has stopped.
雨の日は家で本を読みます。 雨あめの日ひは家うちで本ほんを読よみます。 Ame no hi wa uchi de hon o yomimasu. I read books at home on rainy days.
雨具を持って行きなさい。 雨具あまぐを持もって行いきなさい。 Amagu o motte ikinasai. Take your rain gear with you.
明日は雨天中止です。 明日あしたは雨天うてん中止ちゅうしです。 Ashita wa uten chuushi desu. It will be cancelled tomorrow if it rains.
梅雨が始まりました。 梅雨つゆが始はじまりました。 Tsuyu ga hajimarimashita. The rainy season has begun.

Common Confusion Pairs

Kanji Reading Meaning How to distinguish
雨 あめ rain Has 4 dots inside representing rain.
雲 くも cloud Has the rain radical on top, but a "cloud" base (ム) below.
雪 ゆき snow Has the rain radical on top, but a "broom" (ヨ) base below.

Usage Frequency Note

雨 is a high-frequency kanji used daily in weather reports, casual conversation, and literature. It is one of the first kanji learned by students. Because it is a radical, mastering its shape is essential for learning many other weather-related kanji.