The Japanese Radical: 日


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Meaning
day, sun    日

Explanation The radical nichi stands for sun and was originally a circle with an middle point.

Used in these characters:
JLPT 4Joyo 1
music, sound, noise
oto, ne, ON, IN
Top: stand, get up , bottom: sun/day
(My alarm clock makes music:) Get up into the day with music & sounds.  
JLPT 4Joyo 1
early, fast
hayai,
Sunrise (= The sun above the horizon ) with a marking
When the (rising) sun is at the marked spot at the horizon, it is still early.  
JLPT 5Joyo 1
sun, day
hi, -ka, NICHI, JITSU

Originally the image of the sun with an outer circle and an inner dot, which evolved into:  
JLPT 5Joyo 2
space, gap
aida, ma, KAN, KEN
Combines gate and sun
At the gate, the sun shines through: the gap (space).  
JLPT 5Joyo 2
time, hour
toki, JI
Left: day , right: temple (... made from earth and built with skillful hands )
A day in the temple passes like just one hour.  
JLPT 4Joyo 2
spring
haru, SHUN
From top: three , person , sun
Three persons sit in the sun. It is spring!  
JLPT 5Joyo 2
write
kaku, SHO
A hand ナ/ヨ with a painting brush (cf. ) writes two lines = on a paper
With a brush in my hand on the paper: That's how I write.  
JLPT 3Joyo 2
star
hoshi, SEI, SHŌ
Top: sun , below: live (The twig at the growing plant stands for life)
(Because they move in the night's sky:) Suns that are 'alive' are the stars.  
JLPT 3Joyo 2
sunny, bright, clear up
hareru, SEI
Left: day/sun , right: young, blue (Growing plants appear in the moonshine as blue and young.)
Sunny and blue (sky) - It's sunny and the weather's cleared up.  
JLPT 4Joyo 2
noon, daytime
hiru, CHŪ
Top: measure of length (from the body one foot forward = 1 Shaku = 30.3 cm), below: sunrise (sun over the horizon )
It is measured in Shaku when the sun is vertically above the horizon: Then it is noon.  
JLPT 5Joyo 2
east
higashi,

The sun rises behind a tree in the east.  
JLPT 4Joyo 2
bright, lightful, clear
akarui, akeru, MEI, MYŌ

Sun and moon : Both shine bright and clear.  
JLPT 4Joyo 2
day of the week

Left: sun , right: (two wings , bird )
The sun on the wings of a bird: This happens every: day of the week.  
JLPT 4Joyo 3
dark, shady, gloomy, unclear
kurai, AN
Left: sun/day , right: sound, music (Stand up into the day with music [of the clock radio?])
(You write in the this order: ) When the sun stands between two days , it is: dark.  
JLPT 4Joyo 3
intention, mind, thought
I
Top: sound, noise (Stand up into the day with sound/music [of the clock radio?]), bottom: heart
Like sounds of my heart: My intentions!  
JLPT 3Joyo 3
warm
atatakai, ON
Left: water , right: sun and a bowl/dish
The water on a sunny plate gets warm.  
JLPT 3Joyo 3
melody, bend, turn
magaru, KYOKU
A field with two growing plants II
(In the wind) The plants in the field are bending. (Or: Two flutes play a melody.)  
JLPT 4Joyo 3
hot weather
atsui, SHO
Top: sun , bottom: person (The old man shows in the sun his whole person.)
The sun is directly above the person - that's hot weather!  
JLPT 3Joyo 3
glorious, clear, bright
SHŌ
Left: sun , right: summon/call s.o. (with sword and mouth to call sb.)
The sun is calling: It is getting: glorious and bright!  
JLPT 3Joyo 4
hundred million
OKU
Left: person /, right: thought (= the sounds of my heart )
A (normal) person can only think about having 100 million dollar.  
JLPT 3Joyo 4
scenery, view, panorama
KEI, KE
Top: sun , below: capital (image of a stone lantern)
The sun above the capital is a nice scenery.  
JLPT 3Joyo 4
most, extremely, highest
mottomo, SAI
Top: sun , bottom: to take, hold (.. at the ear with the hand )
(It illuminates everything even into the most remote corners:) The sun takes [with its shine] the extremely.  
JLPT 3Joyo 4
sing, recite, intone, preach
tonaeru, SHŌ
Left: mouth , right: two suns
Open the mouth widely as big as two suns, when: singing.  
JLPT 2Joyo 5
easy, simple, divination, fortune telling
yasui, yasashii, EKI, I
Top: sun , below: rays
Sunrays make it easy.  
JLPT 2Joyo 5
past, old times, former old ...
KYŪ
Left: var. of one , right: day
One day has passed, which means 'old times'.  
JLPT 2Joyo 5
expose, violence, outburst, rage
abareru/ku, BŌ, BAKU
From top: Sun , together with (Put the plants on the table together-) and water
The sun together with the water exposes the violence.  
JLPT 4Joyo 6
reflect, shine, project(cinema)
utsuru/su, haeru, EI
Left: sun , right: center (The yoke on the shoulders of the big man is centered.)
When the sun reaches the center (= zenith) everything is reflecting.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
right, just so, proper, this
kore, ZE
Top: sun , below: correct (at the line to stop is correct)
The sun looks correctly: That is right.  
JLPT 2Joyo 6
warm
atatakai/maru/meru, DAN
Left: sun , right: (Chinese only) to help (a hand reaches down to give a rope [with two knots] and another hand takes this help.)
The sun helps to warm up.  
JLPT 2Joyo 6
nightfall, evening, late
BAN
Left: sun , right: escape, permit (an escaping rabbit 兔=兎=[うさぎ] - long ear , big eyes , legs )
The sun escapes during nightfall.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
rhyme, tone
IN
Left: sound (Stand up into the day with music [of the clock radio?]), right: member (Who has a mouth and money , can become a member.)
Sounds, that are (mutually) members are the rhymes.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
remember, recollection, reminiscence, think
OKU
Left: feeling , right: thought/mind (= the sounds of my heart )
Feelings and thoughts will be remembered (= reminiscences).  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
leisure, spare time
hima, KA
Left: day , center: var. of door (with stairs ), right: tool コ, hand
(DIY = Home improvement as a hobby:) The day when I repair the door and the stairs with a tool in my hand is my leisure.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
resound, echo, get known
hibiku, KYŌ
Top: home town (The thread of the 'husband' connects to the hometown.) [husband = the 'good' from the village], bottom: sound (Stand up into the day with music [of the clock radio?])
(There always remains a reference to the home.) From the home town is sounding an echo.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
dawn, daybreak
akatsuki, GYŌ
Left: sun , right: simplified forest , one (= horizon) and legs (cf. )
If the sun comes through the forest (above the horizon) it is walking towards dawn. (before sun rise )  
JLPT 2Joyo 7
renew, anew, change, fresh, again
sara, fukeru/kasu,
Center: sun , rest: measure of length (big person measures with long step distance of 3m)
The sun shows it size renewedly again.  
JLPT 2Joyo 7
fragrance, smell, aroma, scent
ka, kaoru/ri,
Top: rice plant , below: sun
Rice plants in the sun have a fragrance.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
descendants, insect, multitude
KON
Actually the pictograph of an insect (top: carapace , below: legs [=comparison of two sitting persons])
The sun over the two sitting persons , the: descendants.  
JLPT 2Joyo 7
marriage
KON
Left: woman , right: family/clan , sun
The woman comes into the family at the day of the marriage.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
a short while, temporarily, briefly, a while
shibaraku, ZAN
Top: kill by slicing ([An accident] with a car or an axe can kill by slicing), below: sun/day
If you wanted to make a vehicle with an axe in only one day, this would be a short duration.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
delicious, tasty, relish, purpose, skillful, expert
mune, umai, SHI
Top: typically this radical is understood as a sitting person, even though this kanji [さじ] means "spoon", bottom: sun
On the spoon in the sun and is sth. delicious. How skillful!  
湿
JLPT 2Joyo 7
damp, moist, humid, wet
shimeru/su, SHITSU
Left: water , right: sun , hollow (= extinct volcanic vent)
The water makes the sunny hole damp and humid.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
a 10 day period, decade
JUN
Wrap sth. , sun
When the sun is wrapped (by clouds), then often for the duration of 10 days.  
JLPT 2Joyo 7
rise up, raising, ascent, promote
noboru, SHŌ
Top: sunrise (sun above horizon ), bottom: measure of volume (three upward directed strokes
Like a sunrise is this slope directing upwards: An ascent.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
crystal, clear, sparkle
SHŌ
3 x sun
Three suns as clear as a crystal.  
JLPT 3Joyo 3
old days, long ago, past, antiquity
mukashi, SEKI, SHAKU
Top: variation of together (Put the plants on the table together), bottom: sun
Together in the sun we think of the old days.  
JLPT 2Joyo 7
exchange, substitute
kaeru/waru, TAI
Top: 2 x husband (= big person with extra-caring arms ), below: sun
Two husbands are during sunshine (= during good times) exchangeable.  
JLPT 2Joyo 7
to cloud, dim, mar, fog
kumoru, DON
Top: sun , below: cloud (=rain & fog )
If the sun is above the clouds, it is cloudy.  
JLPT 2Joyo 7
widely, universally, generally
amaneku, FU
Top: row, line, common (originally 2 x stand [for row], now merged to ), below: sun
Lining up in the sun is done generally.  
JLPT 2Joyo 6
live, sunset, end, life circumstances
kureru/rasu, BO
Top: sinking/going down (The plants are made by the sun to be large [= as long shadows] at sunset.), bottom: sun [Notice: means sunrise such as in 'morning ']
The sinking sun means sunset. [OR: The plants needed from one sun to the next big sun are the life circumstances.]  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
calendar, almanac
koyomi, REKI
Outside: cliff , below: forest , sun [cf. hemp ]
A cliff with a forest in the sun: a picture for a calendar.  
JLPT -Joyo 7
not clear, vague, obscure
AI
Left: day/sun , right: love (A hand reaching down to cover the heart and an upturned foot : That is love) [ = A hand reaching down to cover the heart of the person sitting cross-legged : That is love.]
In daylight love becomes unclear.  
JLPT -Joyo 7
beautiful, flourishing, vigorous
Ō
Left: sun/day , right: king
A day like a king: beautiful and flourishing.  
JLPT -Joyo 7
formerly, before
SŌ, ZO
From top: out of (here: rain), field , sun
At rain on the field and under the sun, that's how we worked formerly.  
JLPT -Joyo 7
daybreak, dawn, morning
TAN, DAN
Top: sun , bottom: a horizontal line as the horizon
When the sun appears above the horizon it is: daybreak.  
JLPT -Joyo 7
dark, ambiguous, unclear, dubious
MAI
Left: sun/day , right: not yet/ immature (The upper branch of the tree is still shorter =immature.)
The day is still immature: It is dark and ambiguous.  
JLPT -Joyo 7
dark, deep, unfathomable, divine
MEI, MYŌ
From top: cover , sun/day , six
A cover makes the sun-light sixfold darker and unfathomable.  
JLPT -Joyo 7
dark, darkness
yami,
Outside: gate , inside: sound (Stand up into the day with music [of the clock radio?]), (cf. )
The gate stands in front of the sun and causes darkness (behind it).  

Radicals are shown here that are similar either in appearance or meaning.

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