光
[çi̥ka̠ɾʲi]
The Japanese word for light is 光 (hikari).
Did you know?
- The Hikari train on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen line is named after the word for light to symbolize extreme speed.
- While hikari means 'light', the same kanji 光 is read as kō when it appears in compound words, such as in kōsen for 'light beam'.
- While hikari refers to light as a physical entity, the word akarui is used to describe a person's 'bright' or cheerful personality.
Examples in context
- 窓から光が入る。mado kara hikari ga hairu.Light enters through the window.
- その光はとても明るい。sono hikari wa totemo akarui.That light is very bright.
- 水面に光が反射している。minamo ni hikari ga hansha shite iru.The light is reflecting on the water surface.
Example conversation
Kenta and Yui are looking at the night sky in a park.
- 結衣 Yuiあそこに光が見えるよ。asoko ni hikari ga mieru yo.I can see a light over there.
- 健太 Kenta本当だ、すごく綺麗だね。hontou da, sugoku kirei da ne.You're right, it's really beautiful.
- 結衣 Yui健太さんは、あの光は何だと思う？Kenta-san wa, ano hikari wa nan da to omou?Kenta, what do you think that light is?
- 健太 Kentaたぶん、遠くの街の明かりだよ。tabun, tooku no machi no akari da yo.Maybe it's the lights from a distant city.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 光, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
