天
Heaven
| on’yomi | kun’yomi | Radicals |
|---|---|---|
| てん | n/i | 天 |
Meaning: Heaven
The radical heaven is the same as the kanji heaven, making this an easy kanji to memorize.
If you know your radicals well (and you should!) you know the meaning of this kanji well, as well!
Reading: てん
Heaven… nowadays, people aren’t all that good. Things have gotten bad. That’s why the acceptance rate to get into heaven is only ten (てん) percent!
Imagine yourself in line to get into heaven. You’re super worried, because you’re not sure if you’ll get in. You heard there was a one in ten chance… those aren’t good odds. Feel nervous in your imagination. Feel worried. Feel the pressure as you get closer and closer to the gate… will you make it??
Vocabulary
Make sure you learn the meanings of these words before moving on, and just do your best with the readings.
a 天（てん）＝ sky, heaven.
- Meaning: Basically the same as the kanji. Sky & Heaven are pretty much the same thing anyways, no?
- Reading: The reading is the on’yomi reading (the only reading).
a 天才（てんさい）＝ genius (like you!)
- Combo: 天 (heaven) 才 (genius)
- Meaning: If you’re genius, it’s only natural to assume it was gifted to you by the heavens, which is why heaven+genius just means “genius.”
Notes:
Here’s one more funny one (that you don’t have to learn). 天寿（てんじゅ）means “natural span of life” AND “250 years old.” I knew the Japanese had the world’s longest life expectancy, but this??