How to Say "Libra" in Japanese

てんびん座

Tenbinza[tẽ̞mbʲĩnd͡za̠]

The Japanese word for the astrological sign Libra is てんびん座 (Tenbinza).

てんびん座 is used to refer specifically to the zodiac sign Libra.

Meaning: astrological sign (name)

What does it mean word for word?

The term is composed of てんびん (tenbin), meaning 'scales' and 座 (za), meaning 'constellation' or 'seat'.

てんびん座 is a noun that does not change its form based on its grammatical role, though it is often followed by the particles が or は in a sentence.

Tenbinza

In Japanese astrology, the concept of 'Libra' is often discussed through the lens of 'Western Horoscope' (西洋占星術, seiyou seiseijutsu). A person might ask about your 'Western sign' rather than just your 'constellation' to distinguish it from traditional Japanese elemental systems.
While てんびん座 uses the word for scales, the concept of balance in Japanese culture is often expressed through the word バランス (baransu), a loanword from English. This reflects a modern preference for Katakana-based terms in many contemporary psychological or lifestyle contexts.
The suffix 座 (za) is also used in Japanese to denote certain types of traditional theater, such as 'Kabuki-za', though it functions differently there than in 'tenbinza'.

１２星座とは、おひつじ座、おうし座、ふたご座、かに座、しし座、おとめ座、てんびん座、さそり座、いて座、やぎ座、みずがめ座、うお座のことです。
The twelve signs of the Zodiac are: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces.
This sentence is useful for listing the twelve signs of the Zodiac, including てんびん座.
Tatoeba #10308984 by small_snow, translation #3089471 by Hybrid
彼は典型的な天秤座（Tenbin-za／Libra）で、常に物事を平等に考えます。
He's a typical Tenbin-za (天秤座/Libra), always considering things with fairness.
てんびん座の人は、バランス感覚が鋭いですね。
Tenbinza no hito wa, baransu kankaku ga surudoi desu ne.
People born under Libra have a sharp sense of balance.

Misaki and Kenta are talking about their birthdays.

Sources

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