1.
morning sun; rising sun
The sun as it rises in the early morning. Refers both to the physical sun visible at dawn and to the light it casts. A word with poetic and cultural resonance in Japanese, evoking freshness, new beginnings, and the beauty of dawn.
朝日がまぶしい。
The morning sun is dazzling.
朝日を浴びて散歩する。
I take a walk bathed in the morning sun.
山の向こうから朝日が昇ってきた。
The morning sun rose from beyond the mountains.
朝日に照らされた海が金色に輝いていた。
The sea, lit up by the morning sun, was shining gold.
Composed of 朝 (morning) and 日 (sun/day), with the voicing change ひ→び. The word refers specifically to the sun at dawn — not just any morning sunlight, but the sun itself as it appears on the horizon.
The word carries strong aesthetic and cultural associations. It appears in the name of 旭日旗 (Rising Sun flag), the newspaper 朝日新聞, and the beer brand アサヒ. It is also a common element in place names and personal names.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 朝日が昇る: the morning sun rises
- 朝日を浴びる: to bathe in the morning sun
- 朝日に照らされる: to be illuminated by the morning sun
- 朝日が差す: morning sunlight streams in
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 夕日: evening sun, sunset — the counterpart at the other end of the day
- 日の出: sunrise — refers to the event/moment of sunrise rather than the sun itself
- 旭日: rising sun — a more literary/formal synonym, used in compounds like 旭日旗