平和
heiwa[he̞ːβ̞a̠]
The Japanese word for peace is 平和 (heiwa).
平和 can refer to the absence of war and political conflict, or it can describe a general state of calm and tranquility.
How does it change in a sentence?
While 平和 is a noun, you can use it as an adjective to describe a noun by adding the particle な to form 平和な. This allows you to say that something is 平和な (peaceful).
How do you pronounce it?
heiwa
Did you know?
- The word 平和 is not an ancient term but a modern construction from the Meiji era created to translate Western political concepts into Japanese.
- The first character of 平和, 平, carries the physical connotation of being 'flat' or 'level'. This implies that true peace is a state where all the 'bumps' or 'peaks' of conflict have been smoothed out into a level surface.
- The character 和 (wa) in 平和 also represents the core concept of 'harmony' and is the very first character in the name for Japan, 日本 (Nihon), when written as 和 (Wa) in historical contexts.
Examples in context
- Heiwa no tame ni! (平和のために！)For the sake of peace!
- 平和な世界A peaceful world
- 平和な時代が続いてほしいです。Heiwa na jidai ga tsuzuite hoshii desu.I want a peaceful era to continue.
- 平和な暮らしが一番大切です。Heiwa na kurashi ga ichiban taisetsu desu.A peaceful life is the most important thing.
Example conversation
Two friends are watching a news report about global conflicts in a cafe.
- 陽太 Yotaニュースを見ていたら、平和が恋しくなったよ。Nyūsu o mite itara, heiwa ga koishiku natta yo.Watching the news made me long for peace.
- 美咲 Misaki本当に、平和な毎日が当たり前だよね。Hontō ni, heiwa na mainichi ga atarimae da yo ne.Truly, peaceful daily life is something we take for granted.
- 陽太 Yota美咲は、平和のために何ができると思う？Misaki wa, heiwa no tame ni nani ga dekiru to omou?Misaki, what do you think we can do for peace?
- 美咲 Misakiまずは、身近な人との平和を大切にしたいな。Mazu wa, mijika na hito to no heiwa o taisetsu ni shitai na.First, I want to cherish peace with the people around me.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 平和, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 平和, CC BY-SA 4.0.
