also: てんがい
noun
the heavens; the skies; celestial sphere
Only with reading てんかい
Refers to the sky, the heavens, or the celestial realm in a general, often poetic or astronomical sense. Reading is てんかい.
天界に輝く星々を見上げた。
I looked up at the stars shining in the heavens.
noun
heavenly realm; deva realm
Buddhist term for the realm of heavenly beings (devas). Both てんかい and てんがい readings are used, with てんがい being more traditional in Buddhist contexts.
See also: 天路 (あまじ)
仏教では、天界は六道の一つとされる。
In Buddhism, the heavenly realm is considered one of the six realms of existence.
From 天 (heaven, sky) + 界 (realm, world). The word is used in both general and Buddhist contexts, with the reading variation reflecting historical Buddhist usage.