thunder, lightning bolt
On'yomi (音読み)
- ライ
Kun'yomi (訓読み)
- かみなり
- いかずち
- いかづち
About this kanji
The kanji 雷 primarily means "thunder" or "lightning bolt." It can be used as a noun, especially when referring to thunder in everyday conversations. Some common compounds include 地雷 (じらい), meaning "land mine," and 雷雨 (らいう), which translates to "thunderstorm"—a combination of thunder and rain. Another interesting compound is 落雷 (らくらい), meaning "lightning strike." When you hear a loud rumble during a storm, you might be reminded of this kanji. Keep in mind that 雷 also evokes a sense of power, reflecting how storms can dramatically change the atmosphere.
Example sentences
雷が近くで鳴っている。
Thunder is rumbling nearby.
Meanings across languages
- English
- thunder, lightning bolt
- Tiếng Việt
- sấm, sét
- 日本語
- 雷, 落雷
- 한국어
- 천둥, 번개
- 中文
- 雷, 闪电
- id
- guntur
- th
- ฟ้าร้อง
- es
- trueno
- fr
- tonnerre
- de
- Donner
- pt
- trovão
Common compounds
- 地雷じらいland mine, topic that sets someone off, sensitive topic
- 機雷きらい(sea) mine
- 雷雨らいうthunderstorm, thundershower
- 落雷らくらいlightning strike, lightning bolt
- 魚雷ぎょらいtorpedo
- 雷鳴らいめいthunder, thunderclap, crash of thunder
- 雷雲らいうんthundercloud
- 遠雷えんらいdistant thunder
Want to actually learn this kanji?
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