sky, empty, vacant

About this kanji

The kanji 空 primarily means "sky" or "empty." It's commonly used as a noun, but can also appear in verbs when describing something that is vacant or unfilled. Some representative compounds include 空気 (くうき), which means "air," referring to the invisible mixture of gases we breathe; 空港 (くうこう), meaning "airport," where flights take off and land; and 空っぽ (からっぽ), which simply means "empty," used when describing a container or space with nothing in it. A helpful note is that 空 can be used to express a sense of emptiness both physically and emotionally.

Built from

Example sentences

• 空にはたくさんの星が輝いていた。

  Many stars were shining in the sky.

Meanings across languages

English

sky, empty, vacant

Tiếng Việt

bầu trời, trống rỗng, không còn

日本語

空, 空く, 空ける

한국어

하늘, 비어 있는

中文

天空, 空

id

langit, kosong

th

ท้องฟ้า, ว่าง

es

cielo, vacío

fr

ciel, vide

de

Himmel, leer

pt

céu, vazio

Common compounds

• 空気くうきair, atmosphere
• 空港くうこうairport
• 空っぽからっぽempty, hollow
• 空間くうかんspace, room