宇宙飛行士
uchū hikōshi[ɯ̟t͡ɕɨː çi̥ko̞ːɕi]
In Japanese, the word for astronaut is 宇宙飛行士 (uchū hikōshi). Wiktionary also lists アストロノート (asutoronōto) and 宇宙人 (uchūjin).
Meaning: member of the crew of a spaceship or other spacecraft, or someone trained for that purpose (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 宇宙飛行士 | uchū hikōshi | [ɯ̟t͡ɕɨː çi̥ko̞ːɕi] (narrow) |
| アストロノート | asutoronōto | |
| 宇宙人 | uchūjin | [ɯ̟t͡ɕɨːʑĩɴ] (narrow) |
The term for a member of a spaceship crew or someone trained for space travel is 宇宙飛行士.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 宇宙飛行士 is composed of 宇宙 (space), 飛行 (flight) and 士 (specialist/person/gentleman), literally meaning space flight specialist or pilot.
Which one should you use?
アストロノート is a phonetic loanword from the English word 'astronaut' and is less common. Do not confuse these with 宇宙人, which literally means 'space person' but is used to mean 'alien' or 'extraterrestrial'.
How do you pronounce it?
uchū hikōshi
What mistakes should you avoid?
Be careful not to use 宇宙人 when you mean a human astronaut, as this refers to an alien or extraterrestrial.
Did you know?
- The term 宇宙 consists of two characters: 宇 meaning 'roof' or 'eaves' and 宙 meaning 'air' or 'center', together conceptualizing the universe as a vast house.
- In Japanese pop culture and anime, 宇宙人 is often used to describe an alien as a 'citizen' of space, mirroring the way 日本人 describes a 'citizen' of Japan.
- Unlike English, which distinguishes between 'astronaut' and 'cosmonaut' based on the country of origin, Japanese generally uses 宇宙飛行士 for both.
Examples in context
- 宇宙飛行士になりたいですか？Do you want to be an astronaut?This sentence is useful for asking if someone wants to be an 宇宙飛行士.Tatoeba #9086384 by Ninja, translation #6130541 by mailohilohi
- トムは宇宙飛行士になりたいです。Tom wants to be an astronaut.This sentence shows how to express a desire to become an 宇宙飛行士.Tatoeba #8533485 by small_snow, translation #7067311 by Hybrid
- 宇宙飛行士は、天にも昇る思いだった。The astronaut was over the moon.This sentence uses 宇宙飛行士 to describe someone's emotional state.Tatoeba #11153071 by small_snow, translation #8672720 by Hybrid
- 昨日、新たな宇宙飛行士がミッションに参加しました。Yesterday, a new astronaut joined the mission.
- 10 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ren and Himari are talking about a news report on TV.
- 蓮 Renあの宇宙飛行士はすごいですね。Ano uchū hikōshi wa sugoi desu ne.That astronaut is amazing, isn't he?
- 陽葵 Himari本当にかっこいいと思います。Hontō ni kakkoii to omoimasu.I think he is really cool.
- 蓮 Ren蓮も宇宙飛行士になりたいですか？Ren mo uchū hikōshi ni naritai desu ka?Do you want to be an astronaut too, Ren?
- 陽葵 Himariいいえ、僕は無理だと思います。Iie, boku wa muri da to omoimasu.No, I think it's impossible for me.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “astronaut” translations and entries 宇宙飛行士, 宇宙人, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
