The Kanji: 雨 (Ame/U) - The "Rain" Kanji
The kanji "雨" is a beautiful and evocative character that directly represents "rain." It serves as a radical for many other kanji related to weather phenomena, capturing the essence of moisture falling from the sky.
1. Meaning and Usage
Core Meanings: Rain; rainy weather.
Readings:
Kun'yomi (Japanese reading): あめ (ame), あま (ama-)
On'yomi (Chinese reading): ウ (u)
Common Words and Compounds:
雨 (あめ / ame) - Rain
大雨 (おおあめ / ōame) - Heavy rain
雨天 (うてん / uten) - Rainy weather
梅雨 (つゆ / tsuyu) - Rainy season (the "plum rain")
雨傘 (あまがさ / amagasa) - Rain umbrella
2. Writing and Stroke Order: Capturing Falling Rain
The correct kanji writing for "雨" is complex but highly pictorial. Its stroke order is designed to first create the framework of the sky before filling it with falling raindrops.
Stroke Order:
Stroke 1: A long horizontal stroke from left to right. This is the "roof" of the sky.
Stroke 2: A short vertical stroke on the left.
Stroke 3: A short vertical stroke on the right.
Stroke 4: A horizontal折 (or) stroke that connects the bottom of the two verticals. (Strokes 1-4 create a framed box, representing the sky).
Stroke 5: A short vertical stroke in the center-top, inside the frame.
Strokes 6 & 7: Two dots on the left side, representing falling rain.
Strokes 8 & 9: Two dots on the right side, mirroring the left.
Significance of Correct Kanji Writing:
Proportions: The character should be slightly wider than it is tall, representing a wide expanse of sky. The internal strokes must be balanced to create the visual effect of steady rainfall.
Radical Recognition: As the "rain" radical (あめかんむり, amekanmuri), it appears at the top of many weather-related kanji (e.g., 雲 - cloud, 雪 - snow, 雷 - thunder).
Visual Poetry: The stroke order and final form create a powerful image: a section of the sky from which rain is uniformly falling.
3. Historical Origin and Evolution
The history of "雨" is a clear and consistent journey from a realistic pictogram to a stylized symbol.
Oracle Bone Script (甲骨文字):
The earliest form was a vivid pictogram of rain falling from a cloud. A horizontal line at the top represented the sky or a cloud, and shorter vertical lines descending from it represented raindrops.
Bronze Script (金文) & Seal Script (篆書):
The form became more stylized. The cloud/sky element at the top became more defined, often curving to encapsulate the rain. The raindrops were standardized into dots or short lines, but the overall concept remained unmistakable.
Modern Form (楷書):
The modern "雨" is a perfect abstraction of its ancient form. The curved cloud has been squared off into a rigid frame, and the multiple raindrops have been standardized into four dots. However, the character still powerfully conveys its original meaning: precipitation contained within and falling from the sky.
Cultural and Conceptual Connection:
In Japanese culture, rain (雨) is not merely a weather condition; it carries deep symbolic meaning.
Duality of Nature: Rain is essential for life, nurturing crops and filling rivers (e.g., 恵みの雨 - megumi no ame, "blessed rain"). Yet, it can also represent sadness, melancholy, and isolation, a common theme in poetry and art.
Seasonal Awareness: The character is central to words describing specific seasonal rains, most notably 梅雨 (tsuyu), the rainy season in early summer, which is a defining period in the Japanese calendar.
Purity and Cleansing: In Shinto traditions, rain is often seen as a purifying force, washing away impurity.
Summary
The kanji "雨" is a character where form and meaning are exquisitely intertwined. It began as a literal drawing of rain falling from a cloud and evolved into an elegant, abstract symbol that remains one of the most pictorial in modern use. Mastering its stroke order is a crucial step in Japanese kanji writing, as it teaches how to manage a complex but common structural pattern. When you learn how to write kanji like "雨," you are not just learning a word for a weather phenomenon; you are learning a character that embodies the life-giving, mood-altering, and deeply cultural significance of rain in Japan. It is a window into how the language visually conceptualizes the natural world.