日焼け
hiyake[çija̠ke̞]
In Japanese, the term for a skin tan is 日焼け (hiyake).
日焼け is a noun used to refer to a darkening of the skin. If you want to describe the process of getting a tan or the state of having tanned skin, you can use the verb form 日焼けする.
Meaning: darkening of the skin (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The noun 日焼け is composed of the characters for 日 (sun) and 焼け (burning or scorching).
Which one should you use?
There are two ways to express the verb 'to tan'. 日焼けする is often used to describe the active process of getting a tan. In contrast, 日に焼ける is an intransitive construction that focuses on the skin itself being affected or tanned by the sun.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb form 日焼けする is used to express the action of getting a tan or the state of being tanned.
How do you pronounce it?
hiyake
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use the word for sun tanning, 日焼け, when you are referring to the industrial process of turning animal hides into leather. For that, you must use なめす.
Did you know?
- In Japanese, the same root 焼け is used in 焼け跡, which refers to the ruins of a building after a fire. This connects the tanning of skin to the scorching of architecture.
- The word 焼け comes from the verb 焼く, which means 'to grill' or 'to toast'. This makes the act of tanning linguistically similar to cooking food over a fire.
- In Japanese culture, the phrase 日焼け is often associated with 'beauty' in modern fashion, but traditionally, pale skin was the ideal of nobility and refinement.
Examples in context
- その犬は茶色でかわいいです。That dog is tan and cute.
- 日焼けが気になる。hiyake ga ki ni naru.I am worried about my sunburn.
- 夏休みで日焼けしました。natsuyasumi de hiyake shimashita.I got a tan during summer vacation.
Example conversation
Kenta and Himari are talking after a trip to the beach.
- 健太 Kenta陽葵、日焼けしたね。Himari, hiyake shita ne.Himari, you got a tan.
- 陽葵 Himari本当だ。ちょっと赤いかも。Hontō da. Chotto akai kamo.You're right. I might be a bit red.
- 健太 Kenta日焼け止めは使った？Hiyake-dome wa tsukatta?Did you use sunscreen?
- 陽葵 Himari忘れてた！最悪だわ。Wasurete ta! Saiaku da wa.I forgot! That's the worst.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 日焼け, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
