日光
nikkō[ɲ̟ik̚ko̞ː]
In Japanese, sunshine can be expressed as 日光 (nikkō) or 太陽の光 (taiyō no hikari).
Meaning: direct rays of the sun (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 日光 | nikkō | [ɲ̟ik̚ko̞ː] (narrow) |
| 太陽の光 | taiyō no hikari |
Both terms refer to the direct rays of the sun. 日光 is the preferred term when discussing biological or physical properties, such as the effects of sunlight on plants or its role in solar energy.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 日光 is composed of 日 (sun) and 光 (light). The phrase 太陽の光 literally translates to 'the light of the sun', where 太陽 means 'sun' and 光 means 'light'.
Which one should you use?
日光 is a more technical or scientific term for sunlight. In contrast, 太陽の光 is more descriptive and is more common in everyday speech.
How do you pronounce it?
nikkō
Did you know?
- Japanese has a specific word 木漏れ日 (komorebi) for the particular kind of sunshine that filters through the leaves of trees.
- The phrase 太陽 (taiyō) is used for the physical sun as a star, but お日様 (ohisama) is a polite, personified version used in children's songs and stories.
- The word 太陽 (taiyō) for 'sun' is composed of the characters for 'great' and 'yang', the latter being a core concept of positive, bright energy in Eastern philosophy.
Examples in context
- 日光は植物に有益である。Sunshine is beneficial to plants.This sentence shows how 日光 is beneficial to plants.Tatoeba #122881 by tommy__san, translation #281121 by CK
- その部屋には日光がさんさんと注いでいた。The room was bathed in sunshine.This sentence describes a room being bathed in 日光.Tatoeba #206987 by bunbuku, translation #44237 by CM
- 動物に食物と飲み物が大切なように、植物には雨と日光が大切である。As food and drink is to animals, so are rain and sunshine to plants.This sentence compares the importance of rain and 日光 to plants.Tatoeba #123770 by bunbuku, translation #280225 by CM
Example conversation
Kenta and Yui are sitting in a cafe with a large window.
- 健太 Kentaこの席は日光が当たって気持ちいいですね。Kono seki wa nikkou ga atte kimochi ii desu ne.This seat feels good with the sunshine hitting it.
- 結衣 Yui本当ですね、とても暖かいです。Hontou desu ne, totemo atatakai desu.It really is, it's very warm.
- 健太 Kenta結衣さんは、日光浴をするのが好きですか？Yui-san wa, nikkoyoku o suru no ga suki desu ka?Yui, do you like sunbathing?
- 結衣 Yuiはい、大好きですよ。Hai, daisuki desu yo.Yes, I love it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sunshine” translations and entries 日光, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
