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Kanji for Air

The kanji most commonly used for "Air" are 宙、気、風.

Kanji that mean Air

  • 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.

Before you use Air kanji

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'.

Other meanings to explore

See all kanji by meaning →

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