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One of the best Japanese Kanji dictionary.
The kanji most commonly used for "Air" are 宙、気、風.
宙
space, air, midair
Onyomi: chuu 8 strokes Jōyō
air, spirit, feeling
Onyomi: ke, ki Kunyomi: iki, ki 6 strokes Jōyō
wind, custom, appearance
Onyomi: fu, fuu Kunyomi: kaza, kaze 9 strokes Jōyō
atmosphere, mood, air
Onyomi: fun 12 strokes Jōyō
spirit, air, mood
Onyomi: ke, ki Kunyomi: iki 10 strokes Jinmeiyō
to expose, to bleach
Also associated with to dry.
Onyomi: sai, shi Kunyomi: sara.su, sarashi 10 strokes Jinmeiyō
expose, bleach
Also associated with dry.
Onyomi: baku, boku, hoku Kunyomi: sara.su 19 strokes Jinmeiyō
気 is air as atmosphere and as spirit at once. 空気 is the air you breathe, 天気 the weather, 雰囲気 the mood of a room — and the same character gives 元気 (vitality) and 気分 (how you feel). It is the broadest and most useful of the set. 氣 is its pre-war form, still written deliberately in martial arts contexts such as 合氣道.
風 is moving air: wind, as in 風が吹く. It also means style or manner (和風, Japanese-style), and 風邪, read kaze, is a common cold. 宙 is the air above the ground: 宙に浮く, to hang in mid-air, 宙返り, a somersault, and 宇宙, the universe. 雰 barely exists outside 雰囲気.
晒 and 曝 are ‘air’ as a verb — to air something out, to leave it exposed to sun and weather (晒す, sarasu). They describe exposure, not the air itself, and neither is used as a noun.
気 is the character to use: it reads as spirit and energy as much as air, which is usually what people are after. 風 alone reads as 'wind' or 'style'. 晒 and 曝 mean exposing something to the elements and will not be read as the noun 'air'.
What is Onyomi?
Onyomi, also known as the "Sino-Japanese reading," is one of the two main reading systems for kanji characters in Japanese. It refers to the reading of a kanji character that is derived from the original Chinese pronunciation.
What is Kunyomi?
Kunyomi, also known as the "native Japanese reading," is one of the two main reading systems for kanji characters in Japanese. It refers to the reading of a kanji character that is based on the native Japanese pronunciation. Kunyomi readings are often used when a kanji character stands alone or is followed by hiragana, as in verbs and adjectives. Mastering both kunyomi and onyomi is crucial for understanding and using kanji effectively in the Japanese language.
What is Radical?
A radical, also known as "bushu" in Japanese, is a fundamental component of kanji characters. Radicals are the building blocks of kanji and are used to categorize and organize them in dictionaries. There are 214 traditional radicals, each with its own meaning, which often provides a clue to the meaning of the kanji character it forms.
What is strokes?
Stroke count, or "kakusuu" in Japanese, refers to the number of individual brushstrokes required to write a kanji character. Each kanji has a specific stroke order and stroke count, which are essential for writing the character correctly and legibly. Understanding and following the correct stroke order not only ensures proper balance and aesthetics but also makes writing more efficient and fluid.