Japanese Symbol for
風kaze
wind · breeze · style
Readings
Meaning
Wind, breeze, style, manner. 風 covers both literal wind and the figurative sense of "style" or "flavor" — 和風 (wafū) means "Japanese style," 洋風 (yōfū) means "Western style."
Example words
台風
taifū
typhoon
風景
fūkei
scenery, landscape
和風
wafū
Japanese style
風邪
kaze
cold (illness) — same reading as wind!
風水
fūsui
feng shui (wind water)
神風
kamikazedivine wind, kamikaze
神風 (kamikaze — "divine wind") originally referred to the typhoons that scattered Mongol invasion fleets in 1274 and 1281, saving Japan from conquest. The term gained its modern connotation in World War II. 風邪 (kaze — cold/illness) uses the same kanji as wind, suggesting illness was once thought to be carried on the air.
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