8 Kanji with 雨 (う) | Memorize Weather and Natural Phenomenon Radicals at Once
Learn 8 essential N3 kanji that include the rain radical (雨) all at once.
Improve your memorization efficiency by recognizing the common shapes of kanji related to weather and meteorological phenomena.
Compare similarly shaped kanji to master their exact meanings and readings.
How this bundle was curated
All items at a glance
| Kanji | On-reading | Kun-reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 雨 | う | あめ / あま | Rain |
| 雪 | せつ | ゆき | Snow |
| 雲 | うん | くも | Cloud |
| 電 | でん | いなずま | Electricity / Lightning |
| 雷 | らい | かみなり | Thunder |
| 震 | しん | ふるえる | Shake / Quake |
| 霧 | む | きり | Fog |
| 露 | ろ | つゆ | Dew / Expose |
Item by item
Kun: あめ (う)
On: う
Rain
This kanji depicts water drops falling from the sky. When this radical is used at the top of another kanji, it takes a slightly flattened shape known as 'amekanmuri'.
Kun: ゆき (せつ)
On: せつ
Snow
It combines the rain radical (雨) with a broom shape (a variation of 彗) underneath, signifying 'snow' that needs to be swept away with a broom.
Kun: くも (うん)
On: うん
Cloud
This kanji is formed by adding the shape of rising clouds (云) under the rain radical (雨).
Kun: でん
On: でん
Electricity / Lightning
Originally, this kanji meant lightning, but in modern times it is primarily used to mean 'electricity'. The bottom part (申) represents the shape of a lightning strike.
Kun: かみなり (らい)
On: らい
Thunder
Combining the rain radical (雨) with the rice field radical (田) underneath, this kanji expresses the 'thunder' that rumbles over the fields (ground) when it rains.
Kun: ふるえる (しん)
On: しん
Shake / Quake
A combination of the rain radical (雨) and the star/dragon radical (辰). It originally depicted all things shaking from a lightning strike, leading to the meanings of 'shake' or 'earthquake'.
Kun: きり (む)
On: む
Fog
Combining the rain radical (雨) with the kanji for effort/task (務) underneath, it refers to thick 'fog' that obscures one's vision.
Kun: つゆ (ろ)
On: ろ
Dew / Expose
Combining the rain radical (雨) with the road radical (路) underneath, it means 'dew' formed by the roadside. It is also used to mean 'to expose' or 'to reveal'.
Practice with examples
How to decide when unsure
- When the rain kanji (雨) is used as a radical, it is usually placed at the top of the kanji and is called 'amekanmuri' (あまかんむり). If you see this radical, you can generally infer that the kanji is related to weather phenomena.
- 電 (electricity) and 雷 (thunder) have similar shapes and are easy to confuse. 電 has an '乚' shape at the bottom, while 雷 has a rice field (田) shape, so be careful when writing them.
- 震 (shake) is mostly used in words related to earthquakes (地震) or trembling (震える) rather than weather itself. The meaning originates from the 'vibration' caused by natural phenomena.
Common mistakes
Both kanji share the rain radical (雨) and feel somewhat related in meaning, making them easy to mix up. However, 電 is primarily used for modern electrical energy concepts like 'electricity' or 'train', while 雷 refers to the natural phenomena of 'thunder' or 'lightning'.
Wrong example: 雷車に乗って会社に行きます。/Correct example: 電車に乗って会社に行きます。
Since trains run on electricity, 電車 (でんしゃ) is the correct word.
Mini quiz
Which of the following correctly pairs the kanji with its reading?
One-line summary
Kanji containing the rain radical (雨) generally represent weather phenomena in the sky. Keeping the meaning of the radical in mind while grouping and memorizing these kanji makes the learning process much more efficient.
FAQ
Are all kanji with the rain radical (雨) related to weather?
Most of them are related to meteorological phenomena like rain, snow, clouds, and fog. However, there are exceptions, such as 震 (shake), which derived from weather phenomena to mean 'vibration' or 'earthquake', and 電 (electricity), which is now used almost exclusively for 'electricity' in modern times.
Does 露 have any other meanings besides 'dew'?
Yes, in addition to 'dew', 露 is frequently used to mean 'to reveal' or 'to not hide', as seen in words like 露出 (exposure) and 露骨 (blunt/outspoken).
