Details
Description
Heaven/Sky - the celestial realm, divine authority.
Stroke Order
Cultural Context
Etymology
Pictograph indicating space above a person's head. The area above a person (大).
Symbolism
Heavens, abode of gods, fate. Used in important concepts like 'heavenly mandate' and 'emperor'.
Spiritual Meaning
Represents supreme realm where gods dwell, worshipped as source of power beyond human knowledge - heavenly mandate and punishment.
Component Breakdown
One + big
Words & Expressions
Four-Character Compounds
旭日昇天
きょくじつしょうてん
full of vigor and vitality (like the rising sun); in the ascendant
一天四海
いってんしかい
the world; the universe
一天万乗
いってんばんじょう
the whole realm
奇想天外
きそうてんがい
fantastic; bizarre; incredible
驚天動地
きょうてんどうち
astounding; startling; world-shaking
三日天下
みっかてんか
short-lived rule; being in power only for a brief period; brief championship
青天白日
せいてんはくじつ
clear weather; being cleared of the charge (brought against one); having one's innocence proved
天衣無縫
てんいむほう
perfect beauty with no trace of artifice; flawless
天井桟敷
てんじょうさじき
gallery (in a theatre); upper gallery; cheap seats
天下一品
てんかいっぴん
beyond compare; peerless; unrivaled
天下無双
てんかむそう
peerless; unequaled; unequalled
天涯孤独
てんがいこどく
a person without a single relative
天空海濶
てんくうかいかつ
the open sky and the serene sea; as open as the sky and serene as the sea; magnanimous
天真爛漫
てんしんらんまん
innocent; naive; artless
天地開闢
てんちかいびゃく
creation of heaven and earth
天地神明
てんちしんめい
the gods of heaven and earth
天地創造
てんちそうぞう
creation (of the universe); the Creation
天地万物
てんちばんぶつ
the whole creation; everything in heaven and earth
天地無用
てんちむよう
do not turn upside down
天長地久
てんちょうちきゅう
coeval with heaven and earth
天罰覿面
てんばつてきめん
the certainty of divine punishment; Swift is Heaven's vengeance
天変地異
てんぺんちい
natural disaster; cataclysm
天佑神助
てんゆうしんじょ
divine grace; God's help
不倶戴天
ふぐたいてん
cannot allow (oneself) to live (with someone) under the canopy of heaven; cannot allow (the sworn enemy) to live in this world; irreconcilable (enemy)
天神地祇
てんしんちぎ
gods of heaven and earth
運否天賦
うんぷてんぷ
trusting to chance; trusting to Providence
水天彷彿
すいてんほうふつ
the sky and water merging into one; seamless merging of the sea and the sky
意気衝天
いきしょうてん
in high spirits
則天去私
そくてんきょし
selfless devotion to justice
天壌無窮
てんじょうむきゅう
as eternal as heaven and earth
震天動地
しんてんどうち
earth-shaking
天下泰平
てんかたいへい
peace throughout the world; carefree; peaceful
天下無敵
てんかむてき
peerless; unequalled; unequaled
干天慈雨
かんてんじう
welcome (beneficial) rain in a drought; realization of something eagerly looked for; a welcome relief
天下御免
てんかごめん
licensed; chartered; officially allowed
天災地変
てんさいちへん
natural disaster
天網恢々
てんもうかいかい
heaven's vengeance is slow but sure; heaven's net is wide and coarse, yet nothing slips through
怒髪衝天
どはつしょうてん
being in a towering rage; boiling with rage
有頂天外
うちょうてんがい
beside oneself with joy; in raptures; in an ecstasy of delight
旱天慈雨
かんてんじう
welcome (beneficial) rain in a drought; realization of something eagerly looked for; a welcome relief
敬天愛人
けいてんあいじん
revere heaven, love people
天涯地角
てんがいちかく
two places being far apart
天涯比隣
てんがいひりん
a great distance does not detract from the feeling (relationship) of endearment; feeling as though a dear one faraway were living in one's close neighborhood
天下多事
てんかたじ
eventful times for the nation (world); the nation (world) being in turmoil; the storm clouds gathering in the land
天下無類
てんかむるい
peerless (unparalleled, matchless, unequaled) in the country
天上天下
てんじょうてんげ
the whole world; throughout heaven and earth
天孫降臨
てんそんこうりん
the descent to earth of the grandson of the sun goddess
天地玄黄
てんちげんこう
heaven is black and earth is yellow; heaven and earth
天地長久
てんちちょうきゅう
heaven and earth are eternal
天理人情
てんりにんじょう
the laws of nature and humanity
俯仰天地
ふぎょうてんち
looking up and down, from heaven to earth (having nothing to be ashamed of); swearing by Heaven and Earth (having done nothing to be ashamed of)
歓天喜地
かんてんきち
great joy; jubilation; exultation
天然自然
てんねんしぜん
natural; naturally
天馬行空
てんばこうくう
unconstrained creativity; bold and imaginative; (like a) a heavenly steed soaring across the skies
雲外蒼天
うんがいそうてん
light at the end of the tunnel; relief after overcoming hardship; open sky beyond the clouds
Proverbs & Idioms
天は自ら助くる者を助く
てんはみずからたすくるものをたすく
Heaven helps those who help themselves
Success comes to those who make their own effort
天に唾する
てんにつばする
Spitting at heaven
An action that harms oneself in the end
天知る地知る我知る人知る
てんしるちしるわれしるひとしる
Heaven knows, earth knows, I know, others know
Nothing can be hidden; wrongdoing will be discovered
Poetry
春すぎて 夏来にけらし 白妙の 衣ほすてふ 天の香具山
Spring has gone and summer seems to have come — white robes are spread to dry, they say, on Mount Amanokagu.
天の原 ふりさけ見れば 春日なる 三笠の山に 出でし月かも
Gazing far across the plain of heaven — is this the same moon that rose over Mount Mikasa at Kasuga?
天つ風 雲のかよひ路 吹きとぢよ をとめの姿 しばしとどめむ
Wind of heaven, blow shut the path through the clouds — I would keep these dancing maidens here a little longer.
大江山 いく野の道の 遠ければ まだふみも見ず 天の橋立
Mount Oe and the road through Ikuno are far. I have never set foot there, nor even seen a letter from Amanohashidate.
Anime & Manga
天元突破グレンラガン
Gurren Lagann
Robot anime with sky-piercing scale
天気の子
Weathering with You
Story of girl who controls weather. Directed by Makoto Shinkai
Dr.STONE
Dr. Stone
Story of genius Senku reviving civilization with science
かぐや様は告らせたい～天才たちの恋愛頭脳戦～
Kaguya-sama: Love is War
A well-known work with 天 in its Japanese title.
殺戮の天使
Angels of Death
A well-known work with 天 in its Japanese title.
Games
天穂のサクナヒメ
Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin(2020)
Action RPG about heavenly god's daughter doing rice farming
View on Amazon →崩壊:スターレイル
Honkai: Star Rail(2023)
Turn-based RPG traveling through space (heavens)
View on Amazon →Related Figures & Stories
天武天皇
(てんむてんのう)Asuka-period emperor with 'heaven' in name
Won Jinshin War and ascended throne. Ordered compilation of Nihon Shoki
明治天皇
Name contains 天
Emperor Meiji , personal name Mutsuhito, was Emperor of Japan from 30 January 1867 until his death in 1912.
Wikipedia北澤楽天
Name contains 天
Kitazawa Yasuji , known by his pen name Kitazawa Rakuten , was a Japanese manga and nihonga artist, who was the first professional cartoonist in…
Wikipedia天璋院
Name contains 天
Tenshō-in , also known as Atsuko , was the official wife of Tokugawa Iesada , the 13th shōgun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan.
Wikipedia宮崎滔天
Name contains 天
Tōten Miyazaki or Torazō Miyazaki was a Japanese philosopher who aided and supported Sun Yat-sen during the Xinhai Revolution.
WikipediaOther kanji with the same meaning
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 天 mean in Japanese?
天 means heavens, sky, imperial. Heaven/Sky - the celestial realm, divine authority.
How do you read 天?
On'yomi: テン (TEN). Kun'yomi: あまつ、あめ、あま- (amatsu, ame, ama).
How many strokes does 天 have?
天 has 4 strokes. Its radical is 大 (big).
Is 天 a good kanji for a tattoo?
天 is one of the kanji most often chosen for tattoos. It means heavens, sky, imperial. Read the full meaning and cultural background on this page first — some popular choices are deliberately dark.