How to Say "Airplane" in Japanese

飛行機

hikōki[çi̥ko̞ːkʲi]

In Japanese, the English word 'airplane' is translated as 飛行機 (hikōki). Wiktionary also lists 航空機 (kōkūki).

Meaning: powered aircraft (noun)

Ways to say it

“airplane” in Japanese
Japanese	Romanization (Wiktionary)	IPA
飛行機	hikōki	[çi̥ko̞ːkʲi] (narrow)
航空機	kōkūki	[ko̞ːkɯ̟ːkʲi] (narrow)

The term refers to a powered aircraft.

The word 飛行機 is composed of 飛行 (hikō), meaning 'flight' and 機 (ki), meaning 'machine'.

飛行機 is the common word for 'airplane', whereas 航空機 is a more formal, technical term used in aviation and official contexts to mean 'aircraft'.

hikōki

The character 機 in 飛行機 is also used in words for 'opportunity' or 'chance', such as in 機会 (kikai), meaning it shares a semantic root with 'machinery' and 'timing'.
The term 飛行機 first appeared in print in 1908 in a newspaper called 万朝報.
In Japanese, if you want to refer to a 'pilot', you do not use a word related to 'machine', but instead use 操縦士 (sōjūshi), which focuses on the act of 'manipulating' or 'steering'.

飛行機が見えた。
I saw an airplane.
This sentence is useful for describing seeing a 飛行機.
Tatoeba #85733 by bunbuku, translation #1399570 by MrShoval
飛行機は急上昇した。
The airplane climbed sharply.
This sentence is useful for describing the movement of a 飛行機.
Tatoeba #85735 by bunbuku, translation #317978 by jakov
飛行機は無事着陸した。
The airplane made a safe landing.
This sentence is useful for describing the landing of a 飛行機.
Tatoeba #85610 by bunbuku, translation #318103 by CK
42 more sentences on Tatoeba

Two friends are watching planes from a park near the airport.

陽葵 Himari

あそこに大きな飛行機が見えるよ。
Asoko ni ookina hikouki ga mieru yo.
I can see a large airplane over there.
蓮 Ren

本当だ、かっこいい飛行機だね。
Hontou da, kakkoii hikouki dane.
You're right, it's a cool airplane.
陽葵 Himari

蓮君は、飛行機が好き？
Ren-kun wa, hikouki ga suki?
Ren, do you like airplanes?
蓮 Ren

うん、昔から大好きだよ。
Un, mukashi kara daisuki dayo.
Yeah, I've loved them since I was a kid.

Sources

⭐Share⭐ to appreciate human effort 🙏