Lesson L3N5N5 Kanji in Context⏱ 15 min

Nature and Weather Kanji

This lesson introduces key N5 kanji for describing natural elements and weather conditions. You will practice reading and understanding these characters within simple sentences and common phrases, building vocabulary and recognition skills for everyday topics.

🎯 Goal: Learn N5 kanji for nature and weather (天気, 雨, 山, 川, etc.) in context.

Lesson Content

Learning Goal

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to read and write 6 essential N5 kanji related to nature and weather: 天 (ten), 気 (ki), 雨 (ame), 山 (yama), 川 (kawa), 水 (mizu). You will also learn common words and phrases using these kanji.

Concept

Nature and weather kanji appear in daily conversation, weather forecasts, and travel phrases. These characters are pictographs (simple drawings of real things) or ideographs (symbols for abstract ideas). Learning them together helps you see patterns and remember faster.

Step-by-Step Breakdown

1. 天 (ten) – heaven / sky

On’yomi (Chinese reading): てん (ten)
Kun’yomi (Japanese reading): あめ (ame) – rare, mostly in compounds
Meaning: heaven, sky, celestial
Stroke order: 4 strokes. Top horizontal line, then two short lines, then a long horizontal line at the bottom.
Memory tip: Think of a big sky with a horizontal cloud line at the top and a flat horizon at the bottom.
Example word: 天気 (tenki) = weather (sky + spirit/energy)

2. 気 (ki) – spirit / energy / air

On’yomi: き (ki), け (ke)
Kun’yomi: いき (iki) – rare
Meaning: spirit, energy, air, atmosphere
Stroke order: 6 strokes. Start with the top horizontal, then the left vertical, then the inner strokes, then the bottom hook.
Memory tip: Imagine a steam cloud rising from a pot – the three strokes inside look like steam or air bubbles.
Example word: 天気 (tenki) = weather (sky + spirit)

3. 雨 (ame) – rain

On’yomi: う (u)
Kun’yomi: あめ (ame)
Meaning: rain
Stroke order: 8 strokes. Top horizontal, then the vertical line, then the four dots inside (like raindrops), then the bottom horizontal.
Memory tip: The top line is a cloud, and the four dots are raindrops falling down.
Example word: 雨 (ame) = rain; 大雨 (ōame) = heavy rain

4. 山 (yama) – mountain

On’yomi: さん (san), ざん (zan)
Kun’yomi: やま (yama)
Meaning: mountain
Stroke order: 3 strokes. Left vertical, then the center peak, then the right vertical.
Memory tip: It looks exactly like a mountain peak with three points.
Example word: 山 (yama) = mountain; 富士山 (Fujisan) = Mount Fuji

5. 川 (kawa) – river

On’yomi: せん (sen)
Kun’yomi: かわ (kawa)
Meaning: river, stream
Stroke order: 3 strokes. Left stroke, center stroke, right stroke – all slightly curved.
Memory tip: The three strokes look like flowing water in a river.
Example word: 川 (kawa) = river; 小川 (ogawa) = stream

6. 水 (mizu) – water

On’yomi: すい (sui)
Kun’yomi: みず (mizu)
Meaning: water
Stroke order: 4 strokes. Left vertical, then the hook, then the two short strokes on the right.
Memory tip: The left side looks like a waterfall and the right side like splashes.
Example word: 水 (mizu) = water; 水曜日 (suiyōbi) = Wednesday (water day)

Mini Examples

Japanese	Romaji	English
天気がいいです。	Tenki ga ii desu.	The weather is good.
雨がふっています。	Ame ga futte imasu.	It is raining.
山にのぼります。	Yama ni noborimasu.	I climb a mountain.
川で泳ぎます。	Kawa de oyogimasu.	I swim in the river.
水を飲みます。	Mizu o nomimasu.	I drink water.

Common Mistake

Confusing 天 (ten) and 気 (ki): 天 has a flat bottom (like a horizon), while 気 has a hook at the bottom (like a steam bubble). Practice writing them side by side.
Forgetting the dots in 雨: Beginners often write only 2 dots instead of 4. Count them: 4 raindrops!
Mixing 川 (river) and 水 (water): 川 has three straight strokes, while 水 has curves and a hook.

Quick Practice

Fill in the blanks with the correct kanji (天, 気, 雨, 山, 川, 水):

今日の __気はいいです。 (Today’s weather is good.)
→ Answer: 天
__がふっています。 (It is raining.)
→ Answer: 雨
この __はきれいです。 (This river is beautiful.)
→ Answer: 川
富士 __は高いです。 (Mount Fuji is tall.)
→ Answer: 山
__をください。 (Please give me water.)
→ Answer: 水

Summary and Next Step

You have learned 6 nature/weather kanji: 天 (sky), 気 (spirit), 雨 (rain), 山 (mountain), 川 (river), 水 (water). You can now read and write basic weather phrases like 天気 (weather) and 大雨 (heavy rain).

Next step: Practice these kanji in real contexts – check a Japanese weather forecast (天気予報) or look for these characters on signs in photos. Then move on to N5 kanji for time and numbers (日, 月, 年, 時, 分).