雷 — “Thunder / Lightning Bolt” in Japanese

Master (高手)らい, かみなり, いかずち, いかづち

Radical ⾬ · radical 173 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Thunder / Lightning Bolt” in Japanese is 雷, read rai, kaminari, ikazuchi (らい, かみなり, いかずち, いかづち). It is a Jōyō kanji taught in Japanese secondary school (junior & senior high) — the 高手 · Master tier beyond the grade 1–6 Kyōiku set, and appears in words such as 雷雨 (thunderstorm).

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What does 雷 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	雷
Meaning	Thunder / Lightning Bolt
Readings	らい, かみなり, いかずち, いかづち
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	雷雨 (thunderstorm)

How to read 雷

雷 is read rai (らい) or kaminari (かみなり) or ikazuchi (いかずち) or ikazuchi (いかづち) depending on the word.

Words with 雷

雷雨

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Kanji read the same way as 雷

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

Updated: 2026-08-28