12.1 Kanji: 天, 気, 元, 外, 国
This module focuses on essential kanji for discussing basic concepts and locations, including 天 (heaven), 気 (spirit), 元 (origin), 外 (outside) and 国 (country).
Kanji for this module
Weather: 天, 気
Origin: 元
Foreign countries: 外, 国
1. Kanji for basic concepts: 元, 気, 天
Here is a table showing the kanji 天 (heaven), 気 (spirit) and 元 (origin), along with their kun-readings, on-readings and example phrases. We will focus on the highlighted readings and words:
| Kanji | Kun-reading | On-reading | Example Phrases |
|---|---|---|---|
| 天 | てん | 天（てん: ten: heaven）, 天気（てんき: tenki: weather）, 天才（てんさい: tensai: genius） | |
| 元 | もと | げん, がん | 元（もと: moto: origin）, 元気（げんき: genki: health/spirit）, 元日（がんじつ: ganjitsu: New Year’s Day） |
| 気 | き | 気（き: ki: spirit）, 気持ち（きもち: kimochi: feeling）, 天気（てんき: tenki: weather） |
2. Kanji for locations: 外, 国
Here is a table showing the kanji 外 (outside) and 国 (country), along with their kun-readings, on-readings and example phrases. We will focus on the highlighted readings and words:
| Kanji | Kun-reading | On-reading | Example Phrases |
|---|---|---|---|
| 外 | そと | がい | 外（そと: soto: outside）, 外国（がいこく: gaikoku: foreign country）, 外出（がいしゅつ: gaishutsu: going out） |
| 国 | くに | こく, ごく, こっ | 国（くに: kuni: country）, 外国（がいこく: gaikoku: foreign country）, 国会（こっかい: kokkai: the Diet） |
Further resources
The following resource created by Learn Japanese with Moon-chan provides a comprehensive guide to writing and reading the kanji 天 (heaven) and 気 (spirit), including their stroke order and example phrases:
The following resource created by Learn Japanese Kanji provides a comprehensive guide to writing and reading the kanji 元 (origin), including their stroke order and example phrases:
The following resource created by Kanji World – Learning Japanese provides a comprehensive guide to writing and reading the kanji 外（outside）and 国（country）, including their stroke order and example phrases:
Exercise 1
Are you ready to sharpen your kanji writing skills? Download and print the PDF kanji worksheet to start practising and mastering these characters! There’s something timeless and powerful about putting pen to paper – it’s one of the best ways to truly learn kanji!
References
Learn Japanese with Moon-chan. “How to Write 天／気 (ten/ki) | Learn Japanese Kanji with Vocabs.” YouTube video, 3:54. October 20, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vq32MTKtnnQ.
Learn Japanese Kanji. “Learn Japanese Kanji | JLPT N4 | 元.” YouTube video, 1:23. March 30, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abrzeCx0790.
Kanji World – Learning Japanese. “How to Write FOREIGN COUNTRY – 外国 (gaikoku) in Japanese Kanji.” YouTube shorts, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EW4gTi2ab0.https://youtube.com/shorts/cM2DXkKkwiM?si=KulBna49kfqr5r_-.
