天国|てんごくtengoku[1]atamadaka (head-high)

1. nounparadise; heaven; Kingdom of Heaven
   結婚けっこん生活せいかつは夫婦仲ふうふなかが良よければ天国てんごくであり、夫婦仲ふうふなかが悪わるければこの世よの地獄じごくである。↗

   Marriage, in peace, is this world's paradise; in strife, this life's purgatory.

• Synonym極楽ごくらくNeutralBuddhist term for the Pure Land of Amitabha; also figurative for blissful comfort, as in 「極楽極楽」. 「天国」 leans toward the Christian heaven.
• SynonymパラダイスNeutralLoanword for paradise or heaven, often used in advertising and shop names; carries a light, easygoing feel.
• Synonym楽園らくえんNeutralParadise or Eden, as in 「南国の楽園」; focuses on a wonderful, worry-free place to live.
• SynonymヘブンNeutralLoanword for heaven, rare in everyday speech; mostly found in song titles and the titles of works.
• Synonym天上界てんじょうかいWrittenWritten, religious word for the celestial realm, contrasted with the human world.
• Synonym天堂てんどうWrittenWritten word for heaven, used relatively rarely; in daily speech people say 「天国」.
• Synonym楽土らくどWrittenA land of peace and comfort, as in 「王道楽土」; has an archaic flavor.
• Synonym楽天地らくてんちWrittenCan mean an amusement venue as well as a blissful land; has an old-fashioned flavor.
• Related極楽浄土ごくらくじょうどWrittenWritten term for Amitabha's Pure Land, with a strong Buddhist coloring; more literary than 「天国」.
• Relatedエデンの園エデンのそのNeutralPhrase for the Garden of Eden of the Bible, the original paradise.
• Related上界じょうかいWrittenWritten word for the celestial realm; also the mathematical upper bound, so it feels technical.
• Related約束の地やくそくのちWrittenPhrase for the Promised Land of the Bible; carries a religious coloring.
• Antonym地獄じごくNeutralAntonym: hell, where the dead suffer for sins committed in life; also figurative for misery, the direct opposite of 「天国」.

Use 「天国」 for the heaven of the afterlife and for wonderful places, as in 「歩行者天国」. For the Buddhist paradise use 「極楽」; for paradise use 「楽園」 or 「パラダイス」; for the Garden of Eden use 「エデンの園」. 「地獄」 is the opposite, hell.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. 存命ぞんめい中ちゅうに良よいことをした死者ししゃあるいは、その魂たましいがいると考かんがえられている場所ばしょ。特とくに、キリスト教きりすときょうにおけるものを言ゆう。
2. すばらしい場所ばしょ。楽園らくえん。
3. 特定とくていの事物じぶつが満みちあふれた、あるいは優遇ゆうぐうされた場所ばしょや時間じかん。