北海道
Hokkaidō[ho̞k̚ka̠ido̞ː]
北海道 (Hokkaidō) is the Japanese name for Hokkaido, the largest and northernmost island of Japan and the prefecture based upon it.
Meaning: a northern largest island of Japan, or a prefecture based in itself (name)
What does it mean word for word?
The name is composed of three parts: 北 (hoku) meaning north, 海 (kai) meaning sea and 道 (dō) meaning road or way, literally translating to 'North Sea Road' or 'Northern Sea Way'.
How do you pronounce it?
Hokkaidō
Did you know?
- While the name 北海道 is used today, the indigenous Ainu people call the land Ainu Mosir, which means 'land of the humans'.
- The name 北海道 was a deliberate political rebranding in 1869 to replace the older name 蝦夷地 (Ezochi), which carried the derogatory connotation of 'land of the barbarians'.
- The word 道 (dō) in 北海道 is a linguistic survivor of the ancient 'Taihō Code' system from the 7th century, which divided Japan into circuits.
Examples in context
- 北海道は雪だろう。It may be snowing in Hokkaido.This sentence is useful for mentioning the possibility of snow in 北海道.Tatoeba #82432 by small_snow, translation #321283 by CN
- 北海道出身ですよね。You are from Hokkaido, aren't you?This sentence is useful for confirming someone's origin from 北海道.Tatoeba #231576 by KK_kaku_, translation #68943 by CN
- 北海道に行ってたの？Did you go to Hokkaido?This sentence is useful for asking if someone has visited 北海道.Tatoeba #11804164 by small_snow, translation #7813095 by sharris123
- 明日、私は北海道へ旅行に行きます。Tomorrow, I will go on a trip to Hokkaido.
- 54 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Kenta and Yui are talking about their travel plans at a cafe.
- 健太 Kenta結衣さんは、北海道に行ったことがありますか？Yui-san wa, Hokkaido ni itta koto ga arimasu ka?Yui, have you ever been to Hokkaido?
- 結衣 Yuiはい、去年行きました。Hai, kyonen ikimashita.Yes, I went there last year.
- 健太 Kenta僕はまだ行ったことがないんです。Boku wa mada itta koto ga nai n desu.I haven't been there yet.
- 結衣 Yui健太さんも、ぜひ行ってみてください。Kenta-san mo, zehi itte mite kudasai.Kenta, you should definitely try going there.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hokkaido” translations and entries 北海道, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
