空 (そら, sora) Japanese meaning: sky

空 (そら, sora) Japanese meaning: sky | Kotomora

Kanji

天てんN1sense 1
天 is a more formal or literary word for the sky/heavens, while 空 is the everyday word people use to talk about the sky.
空くう中ちゅうN2sense 1
空中 refers specifically to the space in the air (as in 'in mid-air'), whereas 空 is the broader, everyday word for the sky itself.
天てん空くう
空 is the everyday, neutral word for 'sky', while 天空 is a literary or poetic term evoking a vast or heavenly sky.
大おお空ぞらN1
空 is the plain, everyday word for 'sky', while 大空 adds a sense of vastness and often a poetic or emotional tone.

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宙ちゅう
空 primarily means the sky and also appears in the phrase そらで meaning 'from memory,' while 宙 more specifically emphasizes midair or suspended space and is used in 宙で for the same memorized-recitation sense.
上じょう空くうN1
空 is the everyday word for 'sky' as seen from the ground, while 上空 specifically points to the sky directly above a location or at high altitude, often in technical or weather contexts.
スカイ
空 is the ordinary native Japanese word for the sky used in everyday speech, while スカイ is a katakana loanword mostly used stylishly in names and compounds rather than as a standalone word.
虚こ空くう
空 is the plain, everyday word for the physical sky, whereas 虚空 is more literary and can also mean an abstract, metaphysical void.

地ちN3sense 1
地 means 'ground/earth', the natural opposite of 空 'sky' when contrasting up and down.
大だい地ちN2
空 is the sky above, contrasted with 大地, the earth below, in the classic 天と地 pairing.
陸りくN3
陸 refers to land, whereas 空 refers to the sky, another common contrast point in phrases about land, sea, and air.

空からN3
Written with the same kanji, 空 read そら means 'sky' while 空 read から means 'empty', so learners must rely on context to pick the right reading.
エア
空 means the sky, not air as a substance, so it should not be used where エア (air, e.g. in a tire) is meant.

The word そら is native Japanese, with the kanji 空 (meaning 'empty' or 'sky') assigned to it. The historical derivation is uncertain.