宇 - SPACE--Beyond the Roof of the Sky

Readings & Meanings:

ウ

universe, space

Common Usage:

宇宙（人）

Examples:

宇宙人は本当にいると思いますか？

Translations:

Do you think aliens really exist?

Radical:

The "roof" particle, 宀 (うかんむり), indicates here the roof above us all, the heavens, outer space. The inner particle is mainly here for phonetics, but the pictograph of 于 indicates an object that, rising, hits something and bends.

References:

http://www.kanjinetworks.com/knetwork/KUAG.html#KUAG04
http://www.thejapanesepage.com/kanji/kanji/u.htm