天使

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 天使 is a noun read てんし, meaning an angel portrayed as a heavenly being in religion, stories, or art.
• Basic usage: It can refer to an angel guiding a lost child in a picture book or a statue of an angel sitting on a cloud.
  • 絵本の天使は迷子を家まで案内した。 says that the angel in the picture book guided a lost child home; 雲の上に座る天使の像を見つけた。 says that a statue of an angel sitting on a cloud was found.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• 迷子を家まで案内する
  • を marks the lost child as the person guided, and まで marks home as the destination reached.
• 天使の像
  • の links the statue to the angel whose form it represents.
• 天使 and 神
  • 天使 is an angel portrayed as serving or conveying divine purposes, while 神 denotes a deity that is worshiped.