天照大神あまてらすおおみかみ

also: てんしょうこうだいじん

あ

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Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

1

noun

Amaterasu Ōmikami; sun goddess

Shinto

The principal deity of Shinto, enshrined at Ise Grand Shrine. The name is a proper noun referring to the goddess of the sun.

天あま照てらす大神おおみかみは伊い勢せ神じん宮ぐうに祀まつられている。
Amaterasu Ōmikami is enshrined at Ise Grand Shrine.

日本にほん神しん話わでは、天あま照てらす大神おおみかみは太たい陽ようを司つかさどる女め神がみとされる。

In Japanese mythology, Amaterasu Ōmikami is considered the goddess who rules the sun.

Written forms

天照大神あまてらすおおみかみ
Most common kanji spelling for the sun goddess Amaterasu.
天あま照てらす大おお御み神かみ
Variant with honorific 御; seen in Shinto contexts.
天照皇大神
- てんしょうこうだいじん
  Alternate reading and spelling, used in some shrine names and historical texts.
- あまてらすおおみかみ
てんしょうこうだいじん

Kanji

天heavens, sky, imperial
照illuminate, shine, compare
大large, big
神gods, mind, soul
御honorable, manipulate, govern
皇emperor

Similar words

伊い勢せ神じん宮ぐう
Ise Grand Shrine, the primary shrine dedicated to Amaterasu Ōmikami.
天あま照てらす
Shortened form of Amaterasu, sometimes used in compound names or poetic contexts.

Etymology

From Old Japanese. The name is composed of 天 (ama, 'heaven'), 照らす (terasu, 'to shine'), and 大神 (ōmikami, 'great deity'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it is conventionally understood as 'the great goddess who shines in heaven'.