Recognize 空 in everyday Japanese, learn its meanings (sky and emptiness) and read it as part of complete words.

The idea

A kanji can have Japanese-origin readings (kun) and readings borrowed through Chinese (on); learn each reading with its word. Compare 空（そら） and 空港（くうこう） in the table. 空 has 8 strokes; follow their order in the linked KanjiVG diagram.

Patterns to compare
Japanese wordReadingMeaning
空そらsky
空港くうこうairport
空からempty
空くあくto become vacant
空気くうきair

Examples

  • 今日きょうの空そらは青あおいです。The sky is blue today.
  • 飛行機ひこうきが空そらを飛とんでいます。An airplane is flying in the sky.
  • バスで空港くうこうへ行いきます。I go to the airport by bus.
  • この箱はこは空からです。This box is empty.
  • この席せきは空あいていますか。Is this seat free?
  • 朝あさの空気くうきは冷つめたいです。The morning air is cold.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

空 is read そら, while 空港 is read くうこう. Learn the reading of each complete word; the character does not have just one pronunciation. 空 read そら means “sky”; read から it means “empty”. In 空く, the reading is あく and the word describes becoming vacant.

Try it yourself

  1. Write the reading of 空 in hiragana.

    Show answer or example answer

    そら

    空 is read そら; the expression means “sky”.

  2. Write the reading of 空港 in hiragana.

    Show answer or example answer

    くうこう

    空港 is read くうこう; the expression means “airport”.

  3. Fill in the missing kanji: ＿港（くうこう）.

    Show answer or example answer

    空

    空 completes 空港, read くうこう; the expression means “airport”.

Use it today

Cover the table, write 空 from memory, and read 空 and 空港 aloud. Check both the readings and meanings.