晴れ

はれ · hare · JLPT N5 · noun

weather

☀️ hare = the noun of hareru, to clear up; 晴 = sun 日 + blue 青

晴れ is the noun form of the verb 晴れる (hareru), to clear up. The kanji joins 日 (sun) with 青 (blue): sun plus blue sky equals fine weather. Sound hook: the weather is clear, so the hare is out on the hill.

晴 — sun 日 + blue/clear 青
晴 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The left element 日 (sun) gives the meaning — clear, sunny weather — while 青 (qīng) on the right supplies the sound. It originally referred to a sky cleared of rain, and still means 'clear/fine weather' today.

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