ミツバチ
mitsubachi
The Japanese word for "honey bee" is ミツバチ (mitsubachi).
ミツバチ refers to the honey bee.
Meaning: honey bee (noun)
Which one should you use?
In modern Japanese, the word is most commonly written in katakana as ミツバチ rather than using the kanji form 蜜蜂.
How do you pronounce it?
mitsubachi
Did you know?
- While ミツバチ is the word for the insect, the word for 'honey' as a food product is ハチミツ, which flips the order of the characters to literally mean 'bee honey'.
- While ミツバチ is the general term, Japanese has a specific word アシナガバチ for paper wasps, which literally translates to 'long-legged bee'.
- Japanese has a specific distinction between ミツバチ and スズメバチ, the latter referring to the giant Asian hornet, which is feared far more than the honey bee.
Examples in context
- 私は蜜蜂に興味があります。I am interested in honey bees.
- 庭にミツバチがいます。Niwa ni mitsubachi ga imasu.There is a honey bee in the garden.
- ミツバチはとても忙しそうです。Mitsubachi wa totemo isogashisou desu.The honey bees look very busy.
- あのミツバチは花に止まりました。Ano mitsubachi wa hana ni tomarimashita.That honey bee landed on a flower.
Example conversation
A man and a woman are walking in a park.
- 結衣 Yui健太さん、見て！ミツバチがいるよ。Kenta-san, mite! Mitsubachi ga iru yo.Kenta, look! There is a honey bee.
- 健太 Kenta本当だ。あんなに近くにいるんだね。Hontou da. Anna ni chikaku ni irun da ne.You're right. It's so close.
- 結衣 Yui追いかけないように気をつけよう。Oikakenai you ni ki o tsukeyou.Let's be careful not to chase it.
- 健太 Kentaそうだね。結衣、静かに歩こう。Sou da ne. Yui, shizuka ni arukou.That's true. Yui, let's walk quietly.
