KaiwaGo天 kanji: meaning, readings and stroke order
天 means “heaven, sky”. It is written with 4 strokes and is a JLPT N5 kanji.
On’yomi: テン (ten). Kun’yomi: あめ (ame), あま (ama).
How to write 天 (stroke order)
Write 天 in 4 strokes, following the numbers. Each small box adds one stroke; the red line is the stroke to draw.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
General rules: top before bottom, left before right, horizontal before a vertical that crosses it, and a closing bottom stroke last. Writing in the right order makes handwriting readable and helps you count strokes when you look a kanji up.
Practice writing 天
Trace 天 over the faint model with your finger or mouse, following the stroke order above. Turn the model off to write it from memory.
Readings of 天
| On’yomi (Chinese reading) | テン (ten) |
|---|---|
| Kun’yomi (Japanese reading) | あめ (ame)あま (ama) |
The on’yomi is usually used in compound words, the kun’yomi when 天 stands alone or is followed by hiragana. A dot (.) marks where the hiragana ending starts.
Example words with 天
| Word | Reading | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 天気 | てんき tenki | weather | |
| 天国 | てんごく tengoku | heaven |
天気 (tenki) means “weather”. Also in this word: 気
天国 (tengoku) means “heaven”. Also in this word: 国
FAQ
What does 天 mean in Japanese?
天 means “heaven, sky”. Common words with it are 天気 (tenki, “weather”) and 天国 (tengoku, “heaven”).
How many strokes does 天 have?
天 has 4 strokes. Follow the stroke-order diagram on this page from stroke 1 to 4.
How do you read 天?
The on’yomi is テン (ten) and the kun’yomi is あめ (ame), あま (ama). Which one is used depends on the word.
Is 天 on the JLPT N5?
Yes. 天 is kanji number 52 of the 101 N5 kanji on this site.