太陽
taiyō[ta̠ijo̞ː]
The Japanese word for sun is 太陽 (taiyō). Wiktionary also lists 日 (hi).
Meaning: the star around which the Earth revolves (name)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 太陽 | taiyō | [ta̠ijo̞ː] (narrow) |
| 日 | hi | [ɲ̟it͡ɕi] (narrow) |
The word refers to the star around which the Earth revolves. In a broader sense, when discussing a star as the center of any solar system, you may use 太陽, 恒星 or 日.
Which one should you use?
太陽 is used in scientific, astronomical or formal contexts to refer to the sun as a celestial body.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
taiyō
Did you know?
- The character 日 is a pictograph that originally represented a circle with a dot in the center, mimicking the appearance of the sun.
- In the word 太陽, the second character 陽 refers to the 'yang' principle of brightness or heat, which is a fundamental concept in East Asian philosophy.
- The Japanese name for the country, 日本, literally translates to 'origin of the sun'. This is why Japan is known in English as the 'Land of the Rising Sun'.
Examples in context
- 日が暮れた。The sun set.This sentence shows how to use 日 when describing the sun setting.Tatoeba #11924192 by small_snow, translation #11924200 by CK
- 日は西に沈む。The sun sets in the west.This sentence demonstrates the use of 日 to describe the sun setting in the west.Tatoeba #122904 by bunbuku, translation #275141 by CK
- 日が出ている。The sun is up.This sentence illustrates how to use 日 to state that the sun is up.Tatoeba #122954 by bunbuku, translation #281047 by CK
- 215 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Misaki and Ren are looking at a solar eclipse.
- 美咲 Misaki太陽が隠れてきたよ。Taiyō ga kakurete kita yo.The sun is starting to be hidden.
- 蓮 Ren本当だ。すごいね。Hontō da. Sugoi ne.You're right. It's amazing.
- 美咲 Misaki太陽を直接見ないでね。Taiyō o chokusetsu minaide ne.Don't look at the sun directly.
- 蓮 Ren分かってるよ。眼鏡を使うね。Wakatteru yo. Megane o tsukau ne.I know. I'll use glasses.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sun” translations and entries 太陽, 日, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
