太陽

Pattern visualization

Examples

1. 太陽が昇りました。▶ —
   The sun has risen.
2. 太陽の光が強いです。▶ —
   The sunlight is strong.

Collocations

Mnemonic

太陽 taiyou — kanji "great (太) + sun-yang (陽)" = great sun = the sun. Same kanji as Korean and Chinese. Japanese splits the same celestial body across three registers: (1) 日 (hi, everyday "sun" + "day"), (2) 太陽 (taiyou, formal/scientific), (3) お日様 (ohisama, child-friendly/nursery). Japan's flag 日章旗 (nisshouki, Hinomaru) carries the same 日 — "Land of the Rising Sun" identity. The kanji 日 still shows the round sun with a center dot from oracle bone form. One word covers astronomy, national identity, and children's vocabulary.

Quick check

1. Most child-friendly Japanese word for "sun"?

   • お日様 (ohisama)
   • 太陽 (taiyou — formal)
   • 日 (hi — everyday)
   • 太陽神 (taiyoushin — mythological)