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How to say 'Light' in Japanese | 灯

Wondering how to say 'Light' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for Light is 'Tou', written as 灯 in Japanese.'Light' in hiragana is とう.

    word

    Meaning

    Light

    Reading

    とう

    tou

    Kanji

    Light, Lamp

    Explanation

    The Japanese suffix '灯 (とう)' means 'light' and is often used in compound words related to lighting or illumination. It is derived from the kanji 灯, which represents a lamp or light source. This suffix is commonly found in words like '街灯 (がいとう)' (streetlight) or '信号灯 (しんごうとう)' (traffic light). For example: The streetlight is bright「街灯が明るい」(がいとうがあかるい). The traffic light turned red「信号灯が赤になった」(しんごうとうがあかになった). Note that 灯 is rarely used as a standalone word and typically appears as part of compound nouns.

    Part Of Speech

    suffix

    Kanji JLPT

    N2

    Kanji Grade

    4

    Frequency

    6456

    Composition

    kanji

    Handwriting

Kanji in the Word

This word contains 1 kanji character:

  • kanji

    Meaning

    Light, Lamp

Words Related to Through the Kanji

These 2 Words contain the Kanji 灯 as well.

  • word

    蛍光灯

    Meaning

    Lamp, Fluorescent

  • word

    灯油

    Meaning

    Kerosene

Learn the Word

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What does 'Tou' (灯) mean?

'Tou' means 'Light' .

To help you master this word, here's an interactive lesson where you'll practice its readings and meanings.