1.
heaven; sky; the heavens
The sky above, or the heavens in a poetic or religious sense. Often invoked in literary, religious, or proverbial contexts.
天を仰ぐ。
To look up at the sky.
鳥が天高く飛んでいる。
The bird is flying high in the sky.
天には無数の星が輝いていた。
Countless stars were shining in the heavens.
2.
Heaven; providence; fate (as a personified force)
An impersonal higher power or fate that governs human affairs — comparable to 'Heaven' in classical Chinese thought. Used in set phrases about destiny and divine will.
天に祈る。
To pray to Heaven.
結果は天に任せよう。
Let's leave the outcome to Heaven.
天は自ら助くる者を助く、ということわざがある。
There is a proverb that says 'Heaven helps those who help themselves.'
Literary, philosophical, and religious in tone. In everyday speech, 空 is used for 'sky'; 天 appears mostly in set phrases, proverbs, and formal writing.
SET PHRASES AND PROVERBS:
- 天に任せる: to leave it to fate
- 天を仰ぐ: to look up to heaven (often in despair or appeal)
- 天にも昇る心地: a feeling of soaring to heaven (extreme joy)
- 天と地: heaven and earth
- 天は二物を与えず: 'Heaven does not give two gifts' — no one is gifted in everything
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 空: sky — the everyday, neutral word for the physical sky
- 天国: paradise; heaven (as an afterlife destination)
- 宇宙: universe; outer space