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Kotomora

陽

sunshine, yang principle, positive, male, heaven, daytime

JLPTN3StatusJōyō · grade 3FrequencyTop 2,000Strokes12

Readings

On'yomi

  • ヨウ

Kun'yomi

  • ひ

Nanori

  • あき
  • あきら
  • あけ
  • はる

Meaning

陽 centers on the bright, active, outward-facing side of things: sunshine, daytime, the yang principle, and by extension positive, male, or heavenly qualities.

Most common words using 陽

20 of 176
  • 太陽たいよう
    N4

    Sun

  • 陽よう

    (the) positive

  • 太陽光たいようこう

    sunlight

  • 陽気ようき
    N3

    cheerful; jovial; merry; lively

  • 陰陽いんよう

    cosmic dual forces; yin and yang; sun and moon, etc.

  • 陽子ようし

    proton

  • 陽性ようせい

    positive (result)

  • 太陽系たいようけい

    solar system

  • 山陽さんよう

    south side of a mountain; Sanyo district

  • 夕陽せきよう

    evening sun; setting sun

  • 陽炎かげろう

    heat shimmer; heat haze; shimmering of hot air

  • 朝陽ちょうよう

    morning sun; sunrise

  • 陽光ようこう

    sunshine; sunlight

  • 紫陽花あじさい

    bigleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla); French hydrangea

  • 陽動ようどう

    diversion; distraction; feint

  • 山陽新幹線さんようしんかんせん

    San'yō Shinkansen

  • 斜陽しゃよう

    setting sun

  • 瀋陽しんよう

    Shenyang (China)

  • 太陽熱たいようねつ

    solar heat

  • 陽電子ようでんし

    positron

Explore all words using 陽 →

Study

Etymology

陽 combines ⻖ (hill, mound) with 昜, which likely contributes the sound and the idea of brightness or rising. The character originally referred to the sunny side of a hill, extending to sunshine and the yang principle.

Meaning mnemonic

The hill radical ⻖ on the left and the bright 昜 on the right suggest the sunny side of a hill: the place where sunshine hits, representing daytime, positivity, and the yang principle.

Reading mnemonic

For ヨウ, imagine the sun shining brightly and you saying 'Yo!' to greet the new day: Yo -> ヨウ, and the sunshine fills the scene.