Japanese word

空

Pronunciation

Romajisora

Meaning

  • nounsky

Example

空は青いです。sora wa ao i de su

The sky is blue.

Illustration for 空 (sky)

More examples

空に雲があります。sora ni kumo ga a ri ma su

There are clouds in the sky.

飛行機が空を飛んでいます。hi kō ki ga sora o to n de i ma su

An airplane is flying through the sky.

Core concept

The broad space overhead is treated as the surrounding field where clouds, light, and weather appear.

Common phrases

  • 青い空ao i sora

    blue sky

  • 空を見上げるsora o mi a ge ru

    look up at the sky

  • 空の色sora no iro

    the color of the sky

Similar words

天ten: A general word for the sky or the area above the earth.

Definition in Japanese

地球を取り巻く大気が広がる、地上の上方の空間。chi kyū o to ri ma ku tai ki ga hiro ga ru chi jō no kami gata no kū kan

Word origin

The noun 空 (sora, "sky") is native Japanese rather than a loanword, and its precise original derivation is not securely known; the written form uses the Chinese character 空, "empty".

Usage tips

  • In ordinary Japanese, 空 (sora, "sky") usually means the visible sky, while references to outer space use a different term.

Word lists with this word