Kanji 天 - heavens, sky
Kanji 天 means heavens, sky. Onyomi readings are テン (ten) . Kunyomi readings are あま (ama).
JLPT N5Grade 1
Stroke order animation (4 strokes)
Stroke Order Diagram
Each box shows the kanji up to that stroke. Red dot indicates stroke start point.
Readings of 天
音On'yomi (音読み)
テン(ten)
訓Kun'yomi (訓読み)
あま(ama)
天 in different fonts
Vocabulary with 天
| Audio | English  | Romaji | Japanese | Kana |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| weather | tenki | 天気 | てんき | |
| genius | tensai | 天才 | てんさい |
Common words containing the kanji 天
More Information about 天
Common words with 天 (ten)
- 天気 (tenki)（てんき）: weather
- 天気予報 (tenki yohō)（てんきよほう）: weather forecast
- 晴天 (seiten)（せいてん）: clear sky
- 天井 (tenjō)（てんじょう）: ceiling (the “sky” of a room)
- 天国 (tengoku)（てんごく）: heaven
- 天然 (tennen)（てんねん）: natural; 天然水 (tennensui) = natural water
- 天才 (tensai)（てんさい）: genius
Culture & history: 天皇 (Tennō)
天皇 (Tennō)（てんのう） means “heavenly sovereign” and is the title of the Emperor of Japan. You’ll also see 天下 (tenka)（てんか） = the realm / under heaven in historical texts.
Stars and space with 天 (ten/ama)
- 天の川 (Amanogawa)（あまのがわ）: the Milky Way (featured in 七夕 (Tanabata)・たなばた).
- 天文学 (tenmongaku)（てんもんがく）: astronomy.
- 天王星 (Tennōsei)（てんのうせい）: Uranus (literally “sky-king star”).
Why does 天 (ten) appear in food like 天ぷら (tempura)?
天ぷら (tempura) uses 天 (ten) as ateji (phonetic kanji). The word likely came from Portuguese (tempora/tempero). Today 天 (ten) also shortens items: 天丼 (tendon)（てんどん） = tempura rice bowl.
