天

Descendants

 * ( character derived from )
 * ( character derived from )

Glyph origin
A top line representing the level above a man with outstretched arms. Ancient representations of the character depicted a man with a large head, an anthropomorphic representation of heaven.

Original meaning of the word is “sky”. Such concept is difficult to depict with a pictogram, hence the current form. Perhaps influenced by the glyph, the character was frequently glossed in Old Chinese documents with, and such had led to incorrect hypotheses which regarded as a derivation of  or , “top (of the head/hill)”.

Etymology
This character was previously reconstructed to have a -initial in Old Chinese, but this hypothesis has been largely discounted in recent reconstructions, in light of evidence from early Chinese accounts of dialectal pronunciations, transcription of other languages, as well as cognate/derived characters within Chinese, which has all pointed to a voiceless resonant initial in Old Chinese. According to chapter 1 of , by c. 200, this initial had already produced dialectal variation in the pronunciation: People in central-western China pronounced it with the back of the tongue, like , while people in eastern China pronounced it with the tip of the tongue, like. An old northwestern dialect variant survives as, and the word was used to transcribe Old Persian *Hind-uka ("India").

Further etymology is unknown. During the time when this term was reconstructed with a initial, it was frequently compared with , the name for God in early Turkic and Mongolic peoples' languages. This now appears unlikely. The only certain external cognate is the 🇨🇬 (a language closely related to Chinese) word. proposes cognation with and, transcriptions of a Xiongnu word for "sky", which he also relates to.

Definitions

 * 1) sky; heavens; heavenly; celestial
 * 2)  heaven as the abode of the gods or the blessed departed; heavenly
 * 3)  Heaven as an impersonal deity;
 * 4) top; overhead
 * 5) weather; climate
 * 6) day (24 hours)
 * 7) day (as opposed to night)
 * 8) period of time in a day
 * 9) season
 * 10) nature
 * 11) natural; innate
 * 1) top; overhead
 * 2) weather; climate
 * 3) day (24 hours)
 * 4) day (as opposed to night)
 * 5) period of time in a day
 * 6) season
 * 7) nature
 * 8) natural; innate
 * 1) day (as opposed to night)
 * 2) period of time in a day
 * 3) season
 * 4) nature
 * 5) natural; innate
 * 1) period of time in a day
 * 2) season
 * 3) nature
 * 4) natural; innate
 * 1) nature
 * 2) natural; innate
 * 1) nature
 * 2) natural; innate
 * 1) natural; innate

Kanji

 * 1) heavens, sky

Etymology 1
From. A bound form only appearing in compounds. Compare the formation of and,  and.

Noun

 * 1)  the sky, the heavens
 * 2) the area above a kitchen stove:
 * 3) where the smoke collects in an old kitchen using a wood-burning stove
 * 4) a shelf or shelves above the stove
 * 5)  heaven

Etymology 2
→ * →

From as a sound shift from ama above. Compare, , etc. Ultimately from.

Noun

 * 1)  the sky, the heavens
 * 2)  heaven
 * 3)  the roof of a palace

Etymology 3
From. Compare modern 🇨🇬 reading tiān.

Noun

 * 1) the sky, the heavens
 * 2) heaven
 * 3)  a deva or devi
 * 4)  the gods, providence, fate
 * 5)  the top margin
 * 1)  the gods, providence, fate
 * 2)  the top margin
 * 1)  the gods, providence, fate
 * 2)  the top margin
 * 1)  the top margin
 * 1)  the top margin

Affix

 * 1) the sky, the heavens
 * 2) heaven

Etymology
From.