惑星
wakusei[β̞a̠kɯ̟̊se̞ː]
The English phrase "planets" is translated into Japanese as 惑星 (wakusei).
惑星 refers to large celestial bodies that orbit a star. While it is used specifically for planets, you might encounter the broader term 天体, which refers to any celestial body, including stars, moons or comets.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 惑星 is composed of the characters 惑, meaning "to wander" or "to delude" and 星, meaning "star" or "celestial body".
How does it change in a sentence?
Japanese nouns do not change form to indicate plurality. Therefore, 惑星 can mean either "planet" or "planets" depending on the context of your sentence.
How do you pronounce it?
wakusei
Did you know?
- In ancient Japanese and Chinese astronomy, Mars was specifically referred to as 熒惑, meaning 'shining delusion', because of its erratic retrograde motion.
- The term 惑星 is a calque of the Dutch word 'dwaalster', which literally means 'wander star'.
- The word 惑星 is a 'wasei kango', meaning it is a Japanese word constructed using Chinese characters to match a Western concept.
Examples in context
- 地球や火星、木星は惑星である。The Earth, Mars and Jupiter are planets.This sentence demonstrates how to list specific planets using 惑星.Tatoeba #126943 by bunbuku, translation #277147 by vertigo93
- 他の惑星には生命が存在するのですか。Is there life on other planets?This sentence uses 惑星 to ask a question about life on other planets.Tatoeba #138574 by bunbuku, translation #274661 by CK
- 生命は他の惑星に存在しているのだろうか。I wonder if life exists on other planets.This sentence uses 惑星 to express wonder about the existence of life on other planets.Tatoeba #142686 by bunbuku, translation #271884 by CK
- 私の好きな惑星は金星です。My favorite planet is Venus.
- 俺（おれ）の一番（いちばん）好（す）きなのは火星だよ。My favorite planet is Mars.
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are looking at the stars through a telescope.
- 美咲 Misakiあの明るい星は惑星かな？Ano akarui hoshi wa wakusei kana?I wonder if that bright star is a planet?
- 大翔 Hirotoたぶん、木星という惑星だよ。Tabun, Mokusei to iu wakusei da yo.Probably, it is a planet called Jupiter.
- 美咲 Misaki本当にきれいな惑星だね。Hontou ni kirei na wakusei da ne.It really is a beautiful planet.
- 大翔 Hiroto宇宙には他にもたくさんの惑星があるよ。Uchuu ni wa hoka ni mo takusan no wakusei ga aru yo.There are many other planets in the universe too.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 惑星, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 惑星, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
