陽
sunshine, yang principle, positive, male, heaven, daytime
Readings
On'yomi
- ヨウ
Kun'yomi
- ひ
Nanori
- あき
- あきら
- あけ
- はる
- ひろ
- やん
- よ
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
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.