青空
aozora[a̠o̞zo̞ɾa̠]
The phrase 'blue sky' in Japanese is 青空 (aozora).
青空 refers to the clear, bright blue color of the sky on a sunny day. It is used to describe a cloudless sky and often carries a positive or refreshing connotation in both daily speech and literature.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 青空 is a compound of 青 (ao), which means blue or green and 空 (sora), meaning sky.
How does it change in a sentence?
青空 is a noun and does not change its form based on tense or number.
How do you pronounce it?
aozora
Did you know?
- The word 青 (ao) is historically used for both blue and green, which is why green traffic lights in Japan are often referred to as 青 (blue).
- When combining the words to form 青空, the second word undergoes a phonetic change called rendaku, turning the 's' sound into a 'z' sound. This transforms the pronunciation from 'ao-sora' to 'ao-zora'.
- In Japanese culture, the 青空 is frequently used as a symbol of hope or a new beginning in song lyrics and poetry.
Examples in context
- 青空を背景にその塔がくっきり見えた。The tower was seen clearly against the blue sky.This sentence shows how to use 青空 as a background element.Tatoeba #142577 by bunbuku, translation #271993 by pip
- 青空を見上げて故郷を思うTo look up at the blue sky and think of one's hometownThis sentence illustrates looking up at the 青空 while reflecting on one's hometown.
- きれいな青空ですね。It's a beautiful blue sky, isn't it?
- ほんまに綺麗な蒼天やなぁ。It's a truly beautiful blue sky.
- 今日はとても綺麗な青空ですね。Kyou wa totemo kirei na aozora desu ne.The blue sky is very beautiful today.
Example conversation
Two friends are walking in a park on a sunny afternoon.
- 美咲 Misaki見て、綺麗な青空だよ！Mite, kirei na aozora da yo!Look, the blue sky is beautiful!
- 蓮 Ren本当だ。気持ちいいね。Hontou da. Kimochi ii ne.You're right. It feels great.
- 美咲 Misaki蓮くんも、ずっと見ていたいね。Ren-kun mo, zutto mite itai ne.I want to keep looking at it, Ren.
- 蓮 Renそうだね。最高だよ。Sou da ne. Saikou da yo.Yeah. It's the best.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 青空, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 青空, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
