雷

léi

田 + 雨

HSK 2.0Level 5

HSK 3.0Level 6

Definitions

léi (noun) thunder; lightning

léi (noun) mine (explosive device)

Etymology

Depicts rain (雨) and lightning (申) together.

About

雷 combines the rain radical 雨 with a simplified form of 申 (lightning) to depict thunder. Though the lower component now looks like 田 (field), it originally represented a bolt of lightning, making the character a direct image of rain and lightning together. This composition captures the booming sound of a storm, and the character's core meaning is thunder, with extended uses for loud, explosive noises and anything shocking or overwhelmingly loud.

Etymology Hide

Oracle etymology image

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle etymology image

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle etymology image

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle etymology image

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle etymology image

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal etymology image

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal etymology image

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal etymology image

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Cao Wei (Three Kingdoms: 222-280 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

雷声很大。

Léi shēng hěn dà.

The thunder is very loud.

今天下午可能会打雷。

Jīntiān xiàwǔ kěnéng huì dǎléi.

It might thunder this afternoon.

雷电交加的夜晚很可怕。

Léidiàn jiāojiā de yèwǎn hěn kěpà.

The night with thunder and lightning is terrifying.

汽车的雷达系统很先进。

Qìchē de léidá xìtǒng hěn xiānjìn.

The car's radar system is very advanced.

士兵小心地排除了地雷。

Shìbīng xiǎoxīn de páichúle dìléi.

The soldier carefully removed the landmine.

天气预报说晚上有雷雨。

Tiānqì yùbào shuō wǎnshang yǒu léiyǔ.

The weather forecast says there will be a thunderstorm tonight.

抗日战争中使用了手雷。

Kàng Rì Zhànzhēng zhōng shǐyòngle shǒuléi.

Grenades were used during the War of Resistance against Japan.

这两篇论文有雷同之处。

Zhè liǎng piān lùnwén yǒu léitóng zhī chù.

These two theses have identical parts.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 田

Component: 雨

Example Words