How to Say "Jade" in Japanese

翡翠

hisui[çi̥sɨi]

The Japanese word for the gemstone jade is 翡翠 (hisui).

翡翠 refers specifically to the gemstone. In contrast, the katakana transcription ジェイド is used when referring to the English female given name 'Jade'.

Meaning: gem (noun)

Which one should you use?

The kanji 翡翠 refers to the gemstone itself, whereas the katakana transcription ジェイド is used for the English name 'Jade'.

hisui

The two kanji in 翡翠 are color descriptors. The first character refers to red and the second to green, mirroring the plumage of the kingfisher bird.
The characters in 翡翠 were originally used to describe the iridescent colors of the kingfisher bird before being applied to the stone.

彼女は美しい翡翠のネックレスを身につけていました。
She was wearing a beautiful jade necklace.
彼は大切な勾玉を持っています。
He possesses an important jade magatama.
この指輪は本物のヒスイだよ。
This ring is made of genuine jade.
この指輪は美しい翡翠でできています。
Kono yubiwa wa utsukushii hisui de dekite imasu.
This ring is made of beautiful jade.
彼は翡翠のペンダントを大切にしています。
Kare wa hisui no pendanto o taisetsu ni shite imasu.
He cherishes his jade pendant.
博物館に珍しい翡翠の展示があります。
Hakubutsukan ni mezurashii hisui no tenji ga arimasu.
There is a rare jade exhibit at the museum.

Misaki and Yota are looking at jewelry in a shop.

美咲 Misaki

見て、この翡翠のピアス、すごく綺麗ね。
Mite, kono hisui no piasu, sugoku kirei ne.
Look, these jade earrings are very beautiful.
陽太 Yota

本当だね。色がとても鮮やかだ。
Hontō da ne. Iro ga totemo azayaka da.
You're right. The color is very vivid.
美咲 Misaki

陽太、これがお揃いのブレスレットだったらいいのに。
Yōta, kore ga osoroi no buresuretto dattara ii noni.
Yota, I wish these were matching bracelets.
陽太 Yota

いい考えだね。一緒に探してみようか。
Ii kangae da ne. Issho ni sagashite miyō ka.
That's a good idea. Shall we look for some together?

Sources

Wiktionary, “jade” translations and entries 翡翠, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
Word origins: Wiktionary entries 翡翠, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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