The Open Sky 大空
ōzora2 characters11 strokes
大空 (ōzora) means the big, wide sky, and it also expresses a free, open feeling and the hope of chasing big dreams.
Free practice sheet
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Meaning 意味
What 大空 means
The Japanese word for The Open Sky, written with 2 kanji and read ōzora.
Ōzora is the vast, wide sky above us.
It also carries a feeling of freedom and big dreams, as in the phrase ōzora ni habataku, to spread your wings into the open sky.
When people write it in Japan. In Japan, ōzora is a popular word for spring and summer pieces and for goals at the start of a new school year. With only three strokes, 大 is also a good character for a first practice.
Both kanji are taught in 1st grade in Japan.
How to write it 書き方
Brush tips for 大空
Three things to watch
- In 大, slant the horizontal stroke slightly up to the right. Spread the sweep down to the left and the sweep down to the right wide and relaxed.
- In 空, write the hole radical at the top (anakanmuri) wide and flat.
- In the 工 at the bottom of 空, make the last horizontal stroke the longest. The two characters have different stroke counts, so balance their widths.
Stroke order
Follow the vermilion stroke, frame by frame.
Stroke order data: KanjiVG by Ulrich Apel, CC BY-SA 3.0.
How to practice 練習
Trace first, then copy
- PrintPrint both pages at actual size, on US Letter or A4. Page 1 is the model. Page 2 is the tracing sheet.
- TraceTrace the outlines with a brush pen. Or lay thin hanshi paper over the page and trace with brush and ink.
- CopySet the model beside your paper and copy it stroke by stroke. Look at the model more than at your own paper.
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While the sets are on their way
The book is out now.
Japanese Calligraphy for Beginners takes you from holding the brush to writing whole words, step by step, in English. Every model inside was brushed by our teachers.
Starter Set, $72.99 with the book, brush, ink and paper: coming soon.