白金
hakkin[ha̠k̚ʲkʲĩɴ]
Platinum in Japanese is expressed as either プラチナ or 白金 (hakkin).
Meaning: metal (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 白金 | hakkin | [ha̠k̚ʲkʲĩɴ] (narrow) [ɕiɾo̞kʲĩɴ] (narrow) |
| プラチナ | purachina | [pɯ̟ɾa̠t͡ɕina̠] (narrow) |
プラチナ is the standard way to refer to the metal in most everyday settings, while 白金 is used when a more formal or scientific tone is required.
What does it mean word for word?
The kanji in 白金 consist of the characters for 'white' (白) and 'gold' (金), literally meaning 'white gold'.
Which one should you use?
プラチナ is the katakana loanword and is more common in everyday conversation and commercial contexts, such as when discussing jewelry. In contrast, 白金 is a more technical or formal term.
How do you pronounce it?
hakkin
Did you know?
- The word プラチナ is not borrowed from English, but likely comes from the Dutch 'platina' or Spanish 'platina'.
- Although 白金 (hakkin) is used for platinum today, this exact same combination of characters was historically used in Japan to refer to 'silver'.
- If you see the characters 白金 in a non-scientific context, they might be read as 'shirogane', which is an archaic way to say 'silver'.
Examples in context
- プラチナの指輪Platinum ring
- 白金のネックレスPlatinum necklace
- この時計はプラチナでできていますThis watch is made of platinum
- プラチナではないですか？Is it not platinum?
- すみません、白金でできているのはありますか？Excuse me, do you have anything made of platinum?
Example conversation
Kenta and Misaki are looking at jewelry in a shop.
- 健太 Kentaこのネックレスは白金でできていますか。Kono nekkurasu wa hakkin de dekite imasu ka.Is this necklace made of platinum?
- 美咲 Misakiはい、高品質な白金ですよ。Hai, kōhinshitsu na hakkin desu yo.Yes, it is high-quality platinum.
- 健太 Kentaとてもいい色ですね。Totemo ii iro desu ne.It has a very nice color.
- 美咲 Misaki美咲さんによく似合うと思います。Misaki-san ni yoku niau to omoimasu.I think it would look great on you, Misaki.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “platinum” translations and entries 白金, プラチナ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries プラチナ, 白金, CC BY-SA 4.0.
