雷

• 読み: かみなり
• ローマ字: kaminari
• 漢字の分解: 雷 (kaminari/rai) — thunder, lightning
• 発音: /ka.mi.na.ɾi/

意味

Thunder; lightning. The sound and flash produced by an electrical storm.

A noun that covers both thunder (the sound) and lightning (the flash), unlike English which separates them. Commonly used in weather contexts and figurative expressions. 雷が落ちる means both 'lightning strikes' and figuratively 'to get severely scolded.' The word 雷雨 (raiu — thunderstorm) is common in weather forecasts.

例文

1. 昨日の夜、雷がすごかった。
2. 雷が怖くて眠れなかった。
3. 急に雷が鳴り始めて驚いた。

使い方ガイド

場面: weather, daily life, nature

トーン: neutral

起源と歴史

The kanji 雷 combines 雨 (rain) and 田 (field, here representing the rumbling sound). The native Japanese word かみなり literally means 'god's rumbling' (神鳴り), reflecting the ancient belief that thunder was the voice of gods.

文化的背景

時代: Ancient

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal