ヒトデ
hitode
The Japanese word for starfish is ヒトデ (hitode).
ヒトデ refers to various echinoderms. While the word is often written in katakana as ヒトデ, it can also be written in kanji as 人手 or in hiragana as ひとで.
Meaning: various echinoderms (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
hitode
Did you know?
- Certain species of ヒトデ are considered delicacies in some coastal regions of Japan and are prepared as sashimi or fried.
- The kanji representation 人手 actually translates to 'human hands' rather than a sea creature.
- If you use the kanji 人手 in a restaurant, a waiter might think you are asking for 'extra hands' or 'labor' to help them.
Examples in context
- ヒトデって、食べれるの？Are starfish edible?This sentence is useful for asking if ヒトデ are edible.Tatoeba #10612844 by bunbuku, translation #6915917 by Eccles17
- この水族館では、さまざまな種類の ひとで を見ることができます。In this aquarium, you can see various types of starfish.
- 砂浜にヒトデがいる。sunahama ni hitode ga iru.There is a starfish on the sandy beach.
- ヒトデは形がきれいですね。hitode wa katachi ga kirei desu ne.Starfish have beautiful shapes, don't they?
Example conversation
Two children are walking along the seashore.
- 陽葵 Himari見て、陽太、ヒトデを見つけたよ！Mite, Youta, hitode o mitsuketa yo!Look, Youta, I found a starfish!
- 陽太 Yota本当だ、すごく赤いヒトデだね。Hontou da, sugoku akai hitode da ne.You're right, it's a very red starfish.
- 陽葵 Himariずっと見ていたいな。Zutto mite itai na.I want to keep watching it.
- 陽太 Yota動かないね。Ugokanai ne.It's not moving.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ヒトデ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
