陽光|ようこうyoukou[0]heiban (flat)

1. nounsunshine; sunlight
   丘おかは陽光ようこうをいっぱいに浴あびていた。↗

   The hills are bathed in sunlight.

• Synonym日差しひざしNeutralThe everyday word for sunlight shining down; 陽光 is more literary and suggests bright, warm sunshine, as in 「春の陽光」.
• Synonym日光にっこうNeutralNeutral word for the sun's light, common in set phrases like 「日光浴」 and 「直射日光」; also the name of the city Nikkō.
• Synonym日射にっしゃNeutralThe sun's rays striking down, as in 「強い日射を浴びる」; mostly a weather and scientific term rather than everyday speech.
• Synonym天日てんぴNeutralThe sun and its heat, with the focus on sunlight used for drying things outdoors, as in 「天日干し」.
• SynonymサンシャインNeutralLoanword for sunshine, found mostly in names and advertising copy; rarely used to describe the sun in everyday speech or writing.
• Synonym太陽光線たいようこうせんNeutralThe rays the sun emits; a technical, physics-flavoured term for sunlight rather than an everyday word.
• Synonym太陽光たいようこうNeutralSunlight as a technical and energy term, as in 「太陽光発電」; not the word you reach for in everyday description.
• Antonym陰りかげりNeutralAntonym: shadow or dimming, also a sign of decline, as in 「景気に陰り」; stands opposite to bright sunshine.
• Antonym日陰ひかげNeutralNow means shade, the spot the sun does not reach; only in older language did it mean sunlight, so today it is nearly the opposite of 陽光.
• Antonym暗がりくらがりNeutralAntonym: darkness or a dark place; the opposite of a bright, sun-filled scene.

Use 「陽光」 for bright, warm sunshine in written prose, as in 「春の陽光」. In everyday speech say 「日差し」; 「日光」 appears in set phrases like 「日光浴」. For weather and science use 「日射」, for energy 「太陽光」, and 「天日」 for sun-drying. 「サンシャイン」 suits names and ads; 「日陰」, 「陰り」 and 「暗がり」 are opposites.

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

1. 太陽たいようの光ひかり。