灯
Meaning in Englishlight
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Word context
What it means
灯 means a lamp or light; it designates illumination and is used to refer to the source of light or the act of lighting in everyday and literary contexts.
Main meanings
- Physical light source such as a lamp, lantern, or candle
- The glow or illumination of a place, object, or scene
- Used in compounds to denote lighting concepts or devices, for example 灯台 and 灯油
How to use it
Used as a standalone noun for a lamp or light in everyday speech (あかり, akari), in literature as a symbol of illumination, and in compounds such as 灯台 (toudai) and 灯油 (touyu); common verb forms include 灯す (tomosu) and 灯る (tomoru).
Variants and close terms
- 灯り (あかり, akari) — common everyday synonym for light
- 照明 (しょうめい, shoumei) — lighting/illumination in design or technical contexts
- 闇 (やみ, yami) — opposite of light, darkness
Composition
灯 is a single kanji meaning light; there are no smaller kanji components to break down, and its meaning arises from the character as a whole, frequently appearing in compounds to express illumination-related concepts.
Etymology
From the Chinese character 灯, giving the Sino-Japanese reading tō; the native Japanese reading akari carries the sense of illumination.
Word class
Noun (名詞)