天 — “sky / heaven” in Japanese

Grade 1てん, あめ, あま

Radical ⼤ · radical 37 The building block this kanji is filed under

“sky / heaven” in Japanese is 天, read ten, ame, ama (てん, あめ, あま). It is a Grade 1 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 1 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 天気 (weather).

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What does 天 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	天
Meaning	sky / heaven
Readings	てん, あめ, あま
Grade	Grade 1 (Easiest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	天気 (weather)

How to read 天

天 is read ten (てん) or ame (あめ) or ama (あま) depending on the word.

Words with 天

天気てんき
天気予報てんきよほう
天然記念物てんねんきねんぶつ
天才
天候
天皇
天然痘

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Kanji read the same way as 天

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

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Updated: 2026-08-28