島
shima[ɕima̠]
The Japanese word for island is 島 (shima).
島 refers to an area of land completely surrounded by water.
Meaning: area of land completely surrounded by water (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
shima
Did you know?
- The character 島 is composed of a mountain radical 山 on top of a base. This visually represents the idea of a mountain rising out of the sea.
- In Japanese, the word 島 can be used to describe things that are not land, such as 'island' clusters in a group of objects or even 'islands' of light in a dark room.
- The Japanese word 島 has two different pronunciations. The native reading shima is used for most general contexts, while the reading tō is often used in official names and compound words.
Examples in context
- 日本は島国だ。Japan is an island country.This sentence describes Japan as an island country using 島.Tatoeba #122413 by bunbuku, translation #281590 by CK
- イギリスは島です。Britain is an island.This sentence describes Britain as an island using 島.Tatoeba #9106981 by small_snow, translation #8095181 by CarpeLanam
- この島はきれいだな。This island is beautiful.This sentence expresses an observation about the beauty of a specific island using 島.Tatoeba #12063517 by small_snow, translation #10563872 by Hybrid
- 日本には多くの美しい 島 があります。There are many beautiful islands in Japan.
- 沖縄県には多くの小さな 島 があります。Okinawa Prefecture has many small islands.
- 今度の夏、友達と 島 に行く予定です。I'm planning to visit an island with my friends this summer.
- 80 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two people are looking at a map of the ocean.
- 大翔 Hirotoこの島はどこですか。Kono shima wa doko desu ka.Where is this island?
- 美咲 Misakiあそこに小さな島がありますよ。Asoko ni chiisana shima ga arimasu yo.There is a small island over there.
- 大翔 Hiroto美咲さんはあの島を知っていますか。Misaki-san wa ano shima o shitte imasu ka.Misaki, do you know that island?
- 美咲 Misakiいいえ、知りません。Iie, shirimasen.No, I don't.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “island” translations and entries 島, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
