空 — “sky / empty” in Japanese

Grade 1くう, そら, あ

Radical ⽳ · radical 116 The building block this kanji is filed under

“sky / empty” in Japanese is 空, read kuu, sora, a (くう, そら, あ). It is a Grade 1 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 1 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 青空 (blue sky).

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What does 空 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	空
Meaning	sky / empty
Readings	くう, そら, あ
Grade	Grade 1 (Easiest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	青空 (blue sky)

How to read 空

空 is read kuu (くう) or sora (そら) or a (あ) depending on the word.

Words with 空

夜空よぞら
青空あおぞら
空港くうこう
空気くうき
星空ほしぞら
上空じょうくう
空気中くうきちゅう
航空

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Updated: 2026-08-28