流星
ryūsei[ɾʲɨːse̞ː]
The English phrase "meteors" is translated into Japanese as 流星 (ryūsei).
The term 流星 refers to a meteor, specifically the streak of light seen in the sky. If you wish to talk about a meteor shower, you can use the word 流星群.
Which one should you use?
While 流星 refers to the meteor (the streak of light), 隕石 refers to a meteorite (the physical rock that survives impact). To refer to a meteor shower, the suffix 群 (gun), meaning 'group' or 'swarm', is added to the word to form 流星群.
Did you know?
- While English speakers say 'shooting star', the Japanese term 流星 literally translates to 'flowing star', using the character 流 which means 'to flow' like water.
- In traditional Japanese beliefs, the appearance of 流星 was sometimes interpreted as an omen of significant political change or the death of a high-ranking person.
- In certain Japanese contexts, the phenomenon of a meteor is described with a sense of transience, a concept known as 'mono no aware', reflecting the beauty of things that pass quickly.
Examples in context
- 天才とは、彼らの世紀を照らして光輝くべく運命づけられた流星である。Men of genius are meteors destined to burn in order to illuminate their century.Tatoeba #391769 by Scott, translation #391771 by Scott
- 「あの流れ星、キレイだったね！」That shooting star was beautiful, wasn't it!
- 夜空に流星が見えます。Yozora ni ryuusei ga miemasu.Meteors can be seen in the night sky.
Example conversation
Two friends are looking up at the night sky in a park.
- 大翔 Hirotoあ、流星が流れたよ！A, ryuusei ga nagareta yo!Ah, a meteor just streaked by!
- 陽葵 Himari本当だ、すごく綺麗だね。Hontou da, sugoku kirei da ne.You're right, it's so beautiful.
- 大翔 Hirotoもっとたくさん流星が見えるかな。Motto takusan ryuusei ga mieru kana.I wonder if we can see more meteors.
- 陽葵 Himariきっとまた流れるよ。Kitto mata nagareru yo.I'm sure more will streak across soon.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 流星, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 流星, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
