仙台
Sendai
To say Sendai in Japanese, write 仙台, which is read Sendai.
仙台 is the name of the largest city in the Tohoku region in the north of Honshu.
What does it mean word for word?
仙台 is written with two characters. 仙 refers to a hermit sage or immortal and 台 means platform or stand.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanized reading is Sendai. The ai at the end sounds like the word eye.
When do people say it?
Sendai is known for its star festival in early August, when the city center is filled with large paper decorations.
Did you know?
- While 仙台 is the city's name, the term 杜の都 (mori no miyako) is the poetic way residents refer to it, meaning 'The City of Forest'.
- The character 仙 in 仙台 refers to an immortal being from Taoist mythology. This gives the city a spiritual connotation of being a 'platform of the immortals'.
- The character 台 is so common in Japanese place names that it often signals a town built on a plateau or highland, which is a geographic trait shared by many locations across Japan.
Examples in context
- 仙台はとても大きな街です。Sendai wa totemo ookina machi desu.Sendai is a very large city.
- 来月、仙台へ行きます。Raigetsu, Sendai e ikimasu.I am going to Sendai next month.
- 仙台の美味しいものが食べたいです。Sendai no oishii mono ga tabetai desu.I want to eat delicious food from Sendai.
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing their travel plans.
- 健太 Kenta次の休みは、仙台に行きませんか？Tsugi no yasumi wa, Sendai ni ikimasen ka?Would you like to go to Sendai during the next holiday?
- 美咲 Misakiいいですね！仙台に行きたいです。Ii desu ne! Sendai ni ikitai desu.That sounds good! I want to go to Sendai.
- 健太 Kenta美咲さんは、仙台で何をしたいですか？Misaki-san wa, Sendai de nani o shitai desu ka?What would you like to do in Sendai, Misaki?
- 美咲 Misaki美味しい海鮮を食べたいです。Oishii kaisen o tabetai desu.I want to eat delicious seafood.
