土星
Dosei[do̞se̞ː]
Saturn in Japanese is 土星 (Dosei). Wiktionary also lists サターン (Satān).
Meaning: planet (name)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 土星 | Dosei | [do̞se̞ː] (narrow) |
| サターン | Satān | [sa̠tã̠ːɴ] (narrow) |
The word refers to the planet Saturn.
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of the kanji for 'earth/soil' (土) and 'star/celestial body' (星).
Which one should you use?
While the kanji form 土星 is the standard way to refer to the planet, the katakana transliteration サターン is much less common and typically used only in specific contexts like brand names or science fiction.
How do you pronounce it?
Dosei
Did you know?
- The kanji 土 in 土星 refers to the element 'earth' in the Five Elements theory, not the planet Earth, which is 地球.
- While 土星 is the planet, the word 土 on its own is used in Japanese to describe the 'Saturday' in the name for the day of the week, 土曜日. This links the planet to the day just as 'Saturday' does in English.
- The katakana form サターン is famously associated with the Sega Saturn game console. In this context, the word evokes 1990s gaming nostalgia rather than astronomy.
Examples in context
- 木星と土星は巨大ガス惑星です。Jupiter and Saturn are gas giants.This sentence is useful for mentioning the relationship between Jupiter and Saturn as gas giants.Tatoeba #10710130 by MrJuice, translation #3123702 by Hybrid
- 土星には美しい環があります。Dosei ni wa utsukushii wa ga arimasu.Saturn has beautiful rings.
- 望遠鏡で土星が見えました。Bōenkyō de Dosei ga miemashita.I could see Saturn through the telescope.
Example conversation
Ren and Misaki are looking at the night sky.
- 蓮 Renあそこに見えるのが土星だよ。Asoko ni mieru no ga Dosei da yo.That one over there is Saturn.
- 美咲 Misaki本当に？すごく小さく見えるね。Hontō ni? Sugoku chiisaku mieru ne.Really? It looks very small.
- 蓮 Ren望遠鏡で見るともっとすごいよ。Bōenkyō de miru to motto sugoi yo.It's even more amazing through a telescope.
- 美咲 Misakiわあ、見てみたい！Wā, mite mitai!Wow, I want to see it!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “saturn” translations and entries 土星, サターン, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
