銀河
ginga[ɡʲĩŋɡa̠]
The English phrase 'galaxy' is translated into Japanese as 銀河 (ginga). Wiktionary also lists 銀河系 (gingakei) and 星雲 (seiun).
Meaning: collection of billions of stars, galactic dust, black holes, etc (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 銀河 | ginga | [ɡʲĩŋɡa̠] (narrow) |
| 銀河系 | gingakei | [ɡʲĩŋɡa̠ke̞ː] (narrow) |
| 星雲 | seiun | [se̞ːɯ̟̃ɴ] (narrow) |
The term is used to describe a collection of billions of stars, galactic dust, black holes, etc.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 銀河 (ginga) literally means 'silver river'.
Which one should you use?
While 銀河 refers to any galaxy, 銀河系 (gingakei) specifically refers to the Milky Way galaxy. Additionally, 星雲 (seiun) refers to a nebula, which is a distinct astronomical object from a galaxy.
How do you pronounce it?
ginga
Did you know?
- In Japanese folklore, the stars Altair and Vega are separated by the 銀河, which acts as a physical river they can only cross once a year.
- The Tanabata festival celebrates the meeting of two deities across the 銀河, making the word a central theme of one of Japan's most famous summer holidays.
- The word 銀河 first appeared in Japanese literature as early as 751 in the poetry anthology 懐風藻 (Kaifūsō).
Examples in context
- 不規則銀河とは構造が不確定であり、若い恒星や塵、ガスを大量に含む。An irregular galaxy has an undefined shape and is full of young stars, dust, and gas.This sentence is useful for describing the composition of an irregular galaxy using 銀河.Tatoeba #9855960 by MsFixer, translation #3957788 by Hybrid
- 私たちは銀河に住んでいます。We live in a galaxy.This sentence is useful for stating that we live in a galaxy using 銀河.Tatoeba #1808694 by nonong, translation #13220108 by Lumi
- アンドロメダ銀河は故郷です。The Andromeda Galaxy is my home.This sentence is useful for naming the Andromeda Galaxy using 銀河.Tatoeba #3629877 by nonong, translation #3844666 by Youmu970
- 太陽系（たいようけい）は銀河（ぎんが）に存在（そんざい）します。The solar system exists in the galaxy.
- その銀河（ぎんが）は宇宙（うちゅう）の一部（いちぶ）です。That galaxy is part of the universe.
- キラキラ輝（かがや）く銀河（ぎんが）がきれいだね！The sparkling galaxy is beautiful, right?
- 昨日（きのう）の夜空（よぞら）で銀河団（ぎんがだん）を見（み）たよ！I saw a galaxy cluster in the night sky last night!
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are looking at a star map in a planetarium.
- 美咲 Misakiこの銀河はとても美しいね。Kono ginga wa totemo utsukushii ne.This galaxy is very beautiful, isn't it?
- 蓮 Ren本当だ。写真で見るより綺麗だよ。Hontou da. Shashin de miru yori kirei da yo.It really is. It's prettier than in photos.
- 美咲 Misakiもっと遠くの銀河も見たいな。Motto tooku no ginga mo mitai na.I want to see even more distant galaxies, too.
- 蓮 Ren宇宙の広さはすごいね。Uchuu no hirosa wa sugoi ne.The scale of the universe is amazing.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “galaxy” translations and entries 銀河, 銀河系, 星雲, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 銀河, 銀河系, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
