There are two main ways for saying sun in the Japanese language. The first is Hi (pronounced he) and is used when speaking of the sun in normal daily life. The second way is Taiyou and can also be used to refer to the sun in everyday normal situations, but it is more commonly used in a scientific way – for example, when speaking of the sun as a body in our solar system.
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| Romanji | Kanji | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun ひ | Hi | 日 | |
| Sun たいよう | Taiyou | 太陽 | |
| Sunlight ひざし | Hizashi | 日差し | |
| Morning sun あさひ | Asahi | 朝日 | |
| Sunrise ひので | Hinode | 日の出 | |
| Sunset ゆうひ | Yūhi | 夕日 | |
| Sunburn ひやけ | Hiyake | 日焼け | |
| Sun god たいようしん | Taiyō-shin | 太陽神 | |
| The Rising Sun flag きょくじつき | Kyokujitsuki | 旭日旗 | |
| Land of the Rising Sun ひいずるくに | Hiizurukuni | 日出ずる国 |
Interesting facts about the sun in Japanese culture
The sun plays an essential role in Japanese culture as well as in their national religion, Shintoism. After all, the country is known as ‘The Land of the Rising Sun’ and the sun icon is found on their rising sun and national flag.
Amaterasu is the highest deity in the Shinto religion and she is known as the goddess of the sun. Also, all Japanese emperors are believed to be the direct descendants of Amaterasu and are therefore known as “the sons of the sun”. Read more about this fascinating deity here.