雨 – Kanji Meaning, Reading, and Common Words

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雨

雨 represents rain. Its shape depicts falling raindrops beneath a cloud, making it one of the most visually descriptive kanji.

Reading

On’yomi: ウ (u)

Kun’yomi: あめ (ame), あま- (ama-)

Basic Information

Kanji 雨
Meaning rain
Stroke Count 8
JLPT Level N5

How to Understand This Kanji

雨 refers specifically to rain but also serves as a building block for many weather-related kanji such as 雪 (snow) and 雷 (thunder). In literature, 雨 often carries a poetic or melancholic quality.

Common Words

  • 雨（あめ / ame） — rain
  • 大雨（おおあめ / ōame） — heavy rain
  • 小雨（こさめ / kosame） — light rain, drizzle
  • 雨の日（あめのひ / ame no hi） — rainy day
  • 雨降り（あめふり / amefuri） — rainfall, rainy weather
  • 雨天（うてん / uten） — rainy weather (formal)

Example Sentences

  • 今日は雨が降っています。

    きょうはあめがふっています。 / Kyō wa ame ga futte imasu.

    It is raining today.

  • 雨の日は外に出たくないです。

    あめのひはそとにでたくないです。 / Ame no hi wa soto ni detakunai desu.

    I don’t want to go outside on rainy days.

  • 大雨で川の水が増えました。

    おおあめでかわのみずがふえました。 / Ōame de kawa no mizu ga fuemashita.

    The river rose due to heavy rain.

Related Kanji

  • 雪

    — Snow — shares the 雨 radical and is the next natural weather word to learn

  • 雲

    — Cloud — also uses the 雨 radical; clouds and rain go together

  • 天

    — 天気 (weather) is the first weather compound learners encounter

When Learners Usually See This Kanji

雨 is one of the first kanji encountered in weather vocabulary. Recognizing it helps you decode many other weather kanji since it frequently appears as a radical (雨部) in characters like 雪, 雲, and 電.

Summary

雨 means ‘rain’ and is the key kanji for weather vocabulary, also serving as a radical in many related characters.