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Why Japanese Children Draw the Sun Red

Ask a child to draw the sun, and you may notice an interesting cultural difference.

 

In many Western countries, children usually color the sun yellow or orange. In Japan, however, children often draw it as a red circle.

 

Why red?

 

One obvious influence is Japan’s national flag, the Hinomaru (日の丸), literally meaning “circle of the sun.” Its simple design shows a red sun against a white background. From an early age, Japanese children become familiar with the idea that the sun is represented by a red circle.

 

But there is also something we can see in nature.

 

The sun often appears red or deep orange near sunrise and sunset. When the sun is low on the horizon, its light travels through more of the Earth’s atmosphere. Blue light is scattered more strongly, allowing more red and orange light to reach our eyes.

 

This becomes particularly meaningful in Japan.

 

The name Japan—日本 (Nihon or Nippon)—literally means “origin of the sun.” From ancient China, Japan lay to the east, the direction from which the sun rises. This is why Japan became known in English as the “Land of the Rising Sun.”

 

So perhaps the red sun Japanese children draw is more than just a childhood convention.

 

Japan is where the sun rises—and the rising sun can indeed be red.