Meet 光 in everyday scenes, from morning light to a sightseeing trip. Learn each reading with a whole word.
The idea
光 has six strokes; follow the linked diagram. The noun 光 is ひかり and the verb 光る is ひかる; compounds such as 観光（かんこう） and 日光（にっこう） use こう.
Examples
- 朝の光が窓から入ります。Morning light comes in through the window.
- 星が夜空に光っています。Stars are shining in the night sky.
- 京都で観光をしました。I went sightseeing in Kyoto.
- 信号の光が赤に変わりました。The traffic light turned red.
- 日光が部屋を明るくします。Sunlight brightens the room.
- 遠くに光る船が見えます。I can see a shining boat in the distance.
Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.
No Japanese device voice is available. You can still read the text and use the linked listening resources.
Watch out
観光 means sightseeing, not a type of light. 日光 means sunlight; its っ is part of the word’s reading, so learn にっこう as a whole.
Try it yourself
Write the reading of 光 in hiragana.
Show answer or example answer
ひかり
光 is ひかり when it means light as a noun. Morning light enters through the window.
Write the reading of 観光 in hiragana.
Show answer or example answer
かんこう
観光 is かんこう: it means sightseeing, as in the trip to Kyoto.
Choose the missing kanji: 日＿（にっこう）［光／近］.
Show answer or example answer
光
光 completes 日光（にっこう）, sunlight. The small っ is included in its reading.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Japanese sentences where available. We keep your score.
Write the reading of 光 in hiragana.
Write the reading of 観光 in hiragana.
Choose the missing kanji: 日＿（にっこう）［光／近］.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Keep your progress
Sign up for free to save your practice results in your account.
Sign up to saveI already have an accountUse it today
Write 光 using the diagram. Cover the examples, read 光 and 観光 aloud, then make a sentence with either word.