Blue Sky Beyond the Clouds 雲外蒼天
ungai sōten4 characters34 strokes
雲外蒼天 (ungai sōten) means that beyond the clouds lies blue sky: if you get through hard times, a bright future is waiting.
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Meaning 意味
What 雲外蒼天 means
A Japanese four-character idiom, yojijukugo, read ungai sōten.
LiterallyBeyond the clouds, blue sky.
Just as a clear blue sky spreads above the clouds, a bright future waits on the other side of hard times. The phrase encourages you to keep going through difficulties.
“Things are hard right now, but I believe in ungai sōten and keep practicing.”
When people write it in Japan. It is a hopeful theme for kakizome, the first calligraphy of the New Year, or a motto when you have something to work hard for.
One of these kanji is beyond the everyday list, a challenge even for adults in Japan.
How to write it 書き方
Brush tips for 雲外蒼天
Three things to watch
- In the 云 at the bottom of 雲, make the 10th stroke, a horizontal, long. Turn the 11th stroke at its corner and extend it to the right.
- In 外, extend the 4th stroke, a vertical, lower than the 夕 on the left. Then place the 5th stroke, a dot, on its right.
- In 蒼, under the grass radical on top (kusakanmuri), spread the 4th and 5th strokes wide to the left and right so they cover the part below.
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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