日 means “sun”

ひ · hi

Also: day, Japan, counter for days

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading): ひ
On'yomi (Chinese reading): ニチ, ジツ

JLPT N5 · Taught in grade 1 · 4 strokes

The story

The rising sun paints Mount Fuji gold, beginning each day with nature's masterpiece.

Also means "day" - fundamental for time expressions

Where it comes from

Pictographic (象形文字): A circle with a dot in the center: the sun.

The sun was drawn as a circle with a dot inside (representing its burning core). Since circles are hard to write with a brush on bamboo, the shape squared off into a rectangle. The inner dot became a horizontal line.

To remember it: A window showing the sun. The horizontal bar is the sun's bright center.

Its parts

日 Sun · Entire character

A pictograph of the sun: a circle with a line inside

Words with 日

日光 (にっこう, nikkou): sunlight
日本 (にほん, nihon): Japan
毎日 (まいにち, mainichi): every day
今日 (きょう, kyou): today
明日 (あした, ashita): tomorrow
昨日 (きのう, kinou): yesterday
休日 (きゅうじつ, kyuujitsu): holiday
日本語 (にほんご, nihongo): Japanese language
日本刀 (にほんとう, nihontou): Japanese sword

Example sentences

日曜日は休みです。 Sunday is a day off.
今日はいい天気です。 Today is nice weather.
日本語を勉強しています。 I am studying Japanese.

Kanji that look like 日

目 (eye): 目 has one more horizontal stroke inside, like an eye with a pupil
白 (white): 白 has a small stroke at the top; think of sunlight turning white
田 (rice field): 田 has a cross inside, like a field divided into four plots

More from Nature's Poetry

Learn 日 and more kanji free on Fuji Learning · All kanji