日
ひ · hi · JLPT N4 · noun
day
☀️ hi sounds like heat: the sun is the heat that makes the day
The kanji 日 began as a drawing of the sun: a circle with a dot, later squared off into a box with a line. One sun crossing the sky equals one day, so the same word covers sun, sunshine and day. Say hi and think heat.
日 — pictograph of the sun
日 is a pictograph of the sun, originally drawn as a circle with a dot or stroke inside representing the sun's substance. Over time the round shape was squared off into the modern rectangular form. It means 'sun' and by extension 'day'.
にち · nichi · JLPT N3 · noun
day
☀️ 日 began as a drawing of the sun; one trip of the sun = one day
Oracle-bone 日 was a circle with a dot, the sun. It still means sun, and by extension day: 毎日 (mainichi) = every day. The reading nichi sounds like niche: each day has its niche.
日 — pictograph of the sun
日 is a pictograph of the sun, originally drawn as a circle with a dot or stroke inside representing the sun's substance. Over time the round shape was squared off into the modern rectangular form. It means 'sun' and by extension 'day'.