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雷 (かみなり) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

雷かみなり

か

み

な

り

Common word›JLPTN4›Freq.FrequencyTop 5,000

Meanings

1

lightning; thunder; thunderbolt

Refers to the natural phenomenon of lightning and the accompanying thunder; often used as a single concept.

雷かみなりが鳴なっ

た

の

で

、

急いそ

い

で

家いえ

に

入はい

っ

た

。

Thunder rumbled, so I hurried inside.

昨さく夜や、すごい雷かみなりが光ひかっていた。

There was intense lightning last night.

2

god of thunder; god of lightning

Mythological or personified reference; often appears in traditional stories or expressions like 雷様.

昔むかし話ばなしでは、雷かみなりは神かみ様さまとして描えがかれることがある。
In old tales, thunder is sometimes depicted as a god.

3

anger; fit of anger

Figurative use, often in the phrase 雷を落とす (to scold angrily) or describing someone's outburst.

父ちちの雷かみなりが落おちた。
My father blew his top.
社しゃ長ちょうの雷かみなりを聞きいて、みんな静しずかになった。
Everyone fell silent after hearing the boss's angry outburst.

Usage patterns

雷かみなりが光ひかるfor lightning to flash
空そらに雷かみなりが光ひかった。
Lightning flashed across the sky.
雷かみなりが怖こわいto be scared of thunder/lightning
うちの犬いぬは雷かみなりが怖こわくて震ふるえている。
My dog is trembling because it's scared of the thunder.

Expressions

雷かみなりが鳴なるthunder rumbles; thunder roars
雷かみなりが落おちるbe struck by lightning · get yelled at; be scolded harshly
雷かみなりを落おとすscold severely; give someone hell; thunder against
雷かみなりに打うたれたthunderstruck; struck by lightning
地じ震しん雷かみなり火か事じ親おや父じthings to fear: earthquakes, thunder, fires, and fathers

Kanji

雷thunder, lightning bolt

Related words· 6

稲いな妻ずまN1sense 1
稲妻 refers specifically to the visible flash of lightning, while 雷 covers the whole phenomenon of lightning and thunder together.
雷らい鳴めい sense 1
雷鳴 is a formal, literary word emphasizing the rumbling sound of thunder, whereas 雷 is the everyday word for the whole lightning-and-thunder event.
落らく雷らい sense 1
落雷 is a more technical term for a lightning strike hitting the ground or an object, while 雷 is the general, everyday word for lightning/thunder.
ライトニング
雷 is the everyday native Japanese word for lightning/thunder, while ライトニング is an English loanword mainly seen in technical, stylistic, or product-name contexts.

Show 2 more

稲いな光びかりN1
雷 is the everyday word covering both thunder and lightning, while 稲光 refers only to the visible flash and sounds more literary.
電でん光こう
雷 refers to the whole thunder-and-lightning phenomenon, whereas 電光 specifically denotes the visible flash of lightning.

Don't confuse with

雷らい雨う
雷 refers to thunder or lightning itself, while 雷雨 means the rain that comes together with thunder and lightning.

Counted with

回かいN4
Used for occurrences of thunder or lightning strikes as events.

Word family· 8

水みず雷がみなり
thunder with rain; rain thunder · lightning without fire; non-igniting lightning
日ひ雷がみなり
thunder on a clear day; thunder from a blue sky · lightning that starts a fire; fire-causing lightning
雷かみなり様さま
thunder; god of thunder

Written forms

雷かみなりUsage92%
Standard kanji spelling; high priority.
かみなりUsage5%
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing, especially for the figurative anger sense.
カミナリUsage3%

Etymology

Originally a compound of 神 (kami, 'god') and 鳴り (nari, 'sounding'), referring to the sound made by a god. The kanji 雷 is a pictograph representing lightning and rain.

カミナリイカ

kisslip cuttlefish; Sepia lycidas

雷かみなり親おや父じ

snarling old man; irascible old man

Show 3 more

雷かみなり除よけ
lightning rod; lightning arrester · lightning charm; protective charm against lightning
雷かみなりサージ
lightning surge
超ちょう高こう層そう雷かみなり放ほう電でん
upper-atmospheric lightning; upper-atmospheric discharge