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On'yomi
テン
TEN
Kun'yomi
あまつ・あめ・あま-
amatsu / ame / ama

heavens · sky · imperial

mysteriouspeacefulnature

Details

Strokes4
Frequency#512
Radicalbig(3)

Description

Heaven/Sky - the celestial realm, divine authority.

Stroke Order

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Strokes4

Component Breakdown

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One + big

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.

Anime & Manga

天元突破グレンラガン

てんげんとっぱぐれんらがん

Gurren Lagann(2007)

anime

Robot anime with sky-piercing scale

View on Amazon →

天気の子

てんきのこ

Weathering with You(2019)

anime film

Story of girl who controls weather. Directed by Makoto Shinkai

View on Amazon →

Dr.STONE

どくたーすとーん

Dr. Stone(2019)

manga/anime

Story of genius Senku reviving civilization with science

View on Amazon →

Games

天穂のサクナヒメ

Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin(2020)

PS4/Switch/PC

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)

PS5/PC/iOS/Android

Turn-based RPG traveling through space (heavens)

View on Amazon →

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; full of vigor and vitality (like the rising sun)

一天四海

いってんしかい

the world; the universe; the world

一天万乗

いってんばんじょう

the whole realm; the whole realm

奇想天外

きそうてんがい

fantastic; bizarre; incredible; fantastic

驚天動地

きょうてんどうち

astounding; startling; world-shaking; astounding

三日天下

みっかてんか

short-lived rule; being in power only for a brief period; brief championship; short-lived rule

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; clear weather

天衣無縫

てんいむほう

perfect beauty with no trace of artifice; flawless; perfect beauty with no trace of artifice

天井桟敷

てんじょうさじき

gallery (in a theatre); upper gallery; cheap seats; gallery (in a theatre)

天下一品

てんかいっぴん

beyond compare; peerless; unrivaled; beyond compare

天下無双

てんかむそう

peerless; unequaled; unequalled; peerless

天涯孤独

てんがいこどく

a person without a single relative; 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; the open sky and the serene sea

天真爛漫

てんしんらんまん

innocent; naive; artless; innocent

天地開闢

てんちかいびゃく

creation of heaven and earth; creation of heaven and earth

天地神明

てんちしんめい

the gods of heaven and earth; the gods of heaven and earth

天地創造

てんちそうぞう

creation (of the universe); the Creation; creation (of the universe)

天地万物

てんちばんぶつ

the whole creation; everything in heaven and earth; the whole creation

天地無用

てんちむよう

do not turn upside down; do not turn upside down

天長地久

てんちょうちきゅう

coeval with heaven and earth; 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; the certainty of divine punishment

天変地異

てんぺんちい

natural disaster; cataclysm; natural disaster

天佑神助

てんゆうしんじょ

divine grace; God's help; divine grace

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); cannot allow (oneself) to live (with someone) under the canopy of heaven

天神地祇

てんしんちぎ

gods of heaven and earth; gods of heaven and earth

運否天賦

うんぷてんぷ

trusting to chance; trusting to Providence; trusting to chance

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; the sky and water merging into one

意気衝天

いきしょうてん

in high spirits; in high spirits

則天去私

そくてんきょし

selfless devotion to justice; selfless devotion to justice

天壌無窮

てんじょうむきゅう

as eternal as heaven and earth; as eternal as heaven and earth

震天動地

しんてんどうち

earth-shaking; earth-shaking

天下泰平

てんかたいへい

peace throughout the world; carefree; peaceful; peace throughout the world

天下無敵

てんかむてき

peerless; unequalled; unequaled; peerless

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; welcome (beneficial) rain in a drought

天下御免

てんかごめん

licensed; chartered; officially allowed; licensed

天災地変

てんさいちへん

natural disaster; 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; heaven's vengeance is slow but sure

怒髪衝天

どはつしょうてん

being in a towering rage; boiling with rage; being in a towering rage

有頂天外

うちょうてんがい

beside oneself with joy; in raptures; in an ecstasy of delight; beside oneself with joy

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; welcome (beneficial) rain in a drought

敬天愛人

けいてんあいじん

revere heaven, love people; revere heaven, love people

天涯地角

てんがいちかく

two places being far apart; 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; a great distance does not detract from the feeling (relationship) of endearment

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; eventful times for the nation (world)

天下無類

てんかむるい

peerless (unparalleled, matchless, unequaled) in the country; 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; the whole world

天孫降臨

てんそんこうりん

the descent to earth of the grandson of the sun goddess; 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; heaven is black and earth is yellow

天地長久

てんちちょうきゅう

heaven and earth are eternal; heaven and earth are eternal

天理人情

てんりにんじょう

the laws of nature and humanity; 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); looking up and down, from heaven to earth (having nothing to be ashamed of)

歓天喜地

かんてんきち

great joy; jubilation; exultation; great joy

天然自然

てんねんしぜん

natural; naturally; natural

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; unconstrained creativity

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; light at the end of the tunnel

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

和歌(百人一首) (Waka (Hyakunin Isshu))

春すぎて 夏来にけらし 白妙の 衣ほすてふ 天の香具山

Poem #2 from Hyakunin Isshu

持統天皇Empress Jitō
7th century
和歌(百人一首) (Waka (Hyakunin Isshu))

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

Poem #7 from Hyakunin Isshu

安倍仲麿Abe no Nakamaro
8th century
和歌(百人一首) (Waka (Hyakunin Isshu))

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

Poem #12 from Hyakunin Isshu

僧正遍昭僧正遍昭
Unknown
和歌(百人一首) (Waka (Hyakunin Isshu))

大江山 いく野の道の 遠ければ まだふみも見ず 天の橋立

Poem #60 from Hyakunin Isshu

小式部内侍Koshikibu no Naishi
11th century

Related Figures

天武天皇

(てんむてんのう)
Emperor Tenmu631-686

Asuka-period emperor with 'heaven' in name

Won Jinshin War and ascended throne. Ordered compilation of Nihon Shoki