This kanji depicts the sun radiating bright light. Depending on your perspective, the light appears in various colors. Because of this, the kanji came to mean “easy to change” or “easy.”
easy(易)
bright(昭)
On the left side of this figure, you can see a circle representing the sun. On the right, a hand is beckoning, paired with an open mouth that seems to call out, ‘Come with me, the sun!’ Therefore, this character beautifully captures the idea of bringing that light inside, meaning a true ‘brightness’ or ‘clarity’ in one’s heart.
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sunrise(旦)
This character describes the rising sun emerging just above the horizon. Because it captures the very beginning of a new day, it is traditionally used to represent the first day of the new year.
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sun(日)
The character for the sun is remarkably simple. As you can see, it is represented by nothing more than a basic round mark.
sound(音)
To receive messages from the divine, ancient people prayed over a clay pot covered with a stone and listened for the vibrations within it. This is why this character means ‘sound.’ When combined with another character that means ‘enjoy,’ it creates the word for ‘music’!
light(明)
Yes, this character combines the sun and the moon. It simply means ‘brightness’ in the sky.
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spring(春)
This kanji consists of two main parts. At the bottom, you can see the ‘SUN’ as a warm circle. The upper part represents a ‘PLANT’ that is now growing and pushing up from under the land. Therefore, this kanji means ‘SPRING’—the beautiful season when plants grow under the warm sun.
fine(晴)
On the left side of this character, you can see the ‘SUN.’ On the right, it depicts a fresh green plant growing from clean water in a tank. Together, they represent ‘glowing beautifully in a great environment.’ Over time, its meaning shifted, and today it is used to mean ‘FINE’ or ‘CLEAR WEATHER’ in Japanese.