The kanji 雷 primarily represents "thunder" or "lightning". It signifies the powerful natural phenomenon associated with storms, characterized by the loud crashing sound and bright flashes of light.

・On-yomi (音読み): ライ (rai) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): かみなり (kaminari) - This is the more common and native Japanese word for thunder.

⚫︎ 雷雨 Translation: Thunderstorm ⚫︎ 雷鳴 Translation: The sound of thunder; thunderclap ⚫︎ 落雷 Translation: Lightning strike

The kanji 雷 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字). It combines two components: ⚫︎ The top part is 雨 (ame), meaning "rain". This provides the semantic component, indicating a weather-related phenomenon. ⚫︎ The bottom part is 田 (ta), meaning "field" or "rice paddy". While the exact reasoning is debated, it is hypothesized that this component suggests the sound/power spreading to the fields or that the "sound" is spreading through the field. Also, the shape of the mouth on the top of the 田 element suggests an association with speaking or making noise. The entire composition suggests a natural phenomenon, which is the sound/power that comes from the sky(rain).