Onyomi: ミョウ, ミン, メイ · Kunyomi: -あ.け, あ.かす, あ.かり, あ.く, あ.くる, あ.ける, あか.らむ, あか.るい, あか.るむ, あき.らか · Meanings: bright, light
Kanji for bright, light
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Find visually similar kanji, commonly confused characters, related meanings, and useful words connected to 明.
The kanji 明 combines the sun (日) and the moon (月), symbolizing brightness and clarity. In ancient times, it represented light and illumination, showing how day and night together create understanding. 明 came to mean bright, clear, or intelligent, capturing both physical light and mental clarity.
Sun and moon together — 明 means bright, clear, or intelligent.
Imagine the sun and moon lighting up the sky — that’s 明, the kanji for brightness and clarity.
| Word | Reading | Meaning | Meta |
|---|---|---|---|
| 明 | みょう | vidya (wisdom) | Noun |
| 明 | めい | brightness | Noun |
| 明 | さや | clearly, brightly | Adverb (fukushi) |
| 明 | みん | Ming dynasty (of China; 1368-1644) | Noun |
| 明日 | あした | tomorrow | common JLPT-N4 JLPT-N5 Noun, Adverb (fukushi) |
| 明るい | あかるい | light, bright, well-lit, well-lighted | common JLPT-N1 JLPT-N5 I-adjective (keiyoushi) |
| 開ける | あける | to open (a door, etc.), to unwrap (e.g. parcel, package), to unlock | common JLPT-N3 JLPT-N5 Ichidan verb, Transitive verb |
| 明け方 | あけがた | dawn, daybreak | common JLPT-N2 Noun, Adverb (fukushi) |
| 明らか | あきらか | clear, obvious, evident, plain, definite | common JLPT-N3 Na-adjective (keiyodoshi) |
| 明かり | あかり | light, glow, gleam | common JLPT-N3 Noun |