空(そら)

空(そら) means sky—the visible expanse above the earth.

KANJI READINGS:

The kanji 空(くう) has multiple readings with different meanings:

• 空(そら): sky (native Japanese reading)
• 空(から): empty (e.g., 空(から)っぽ = empty)
• 空(くう): void, emptiness (Sino-Japanese, Buddhist)

COMMON COMPOUNDS:

• 青空(あおぞら): blue sky
• 夜空(よぞら): night sky
• 大空(おおぞら): the great sky, heavens
• 空模様(そらもよう): sky conditions, weather
• 空港(くうこう): airport
• 空気(くうき): air, atmosphere
• 空中(くうちゅう): in the air, midair

COMMON EXPRESSIONS:

• 空(そら)を見上(みあ)げる: to look up at the sky
• 空(そら)が曇(くも)る: the sky becomes cloudy
• 空(そら)が晴(は)れる: the sky clears up

RELATED WORDS:

• 天(てん): heaven, sky (more literary)
• 雲(くも): cloud
• 星(ほし): star