巨人
kyojin[kʲo̞ʑĩɴ]
The English word titan can be translated into Japanese as either 巨人 (kyojin) or タイタン.
Meaning: something or someone large in stature, greatness or godliness (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 巨人 | kyojin | [kʲo̞ʑĩɴ] (narrow) |
| タイタン | taitan | [ta̠itã̠ɴ] (narrow) |
巨人 refers to something or someone large in stature, greatness or godliness, typically describing a physical giant or a person of great stature. In contrast, タイタン is a loanword used for specific mythological or astronomical contexts.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 巨人 is composed of two kanji: 巨, meaning huge and 人, meaning person.
Which one should you use?
巨人 is a native Japanese term used to describe a general giant or a person of great stature. タイタン is a loanword specifically used when referring to the Greek mythological figures or the moon of Saturn.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
kyojin
Did you know?
- In Japan, the word 巨人 is so closely associated with professional baseball that many people immediately think of the 'Yomiuri Giants' rather than a mythological creature.
- The word タイタン shares a linguistic root with チタン, the Japanese word for the element titanium.
- In modern pop culture, the word 巨人 has gained global recognition through the title of the series 'Attack on Titan', known in Japanese as 進撃の巨人.
Examples in context
- 進撃の巨人Attack on Titan (literally, “the Advancing Giants”)This sentence is useful for seeing how 巨人 is used in a title.
- 「あのキャラクターは巨人の力を持っている。」That character possesses the power of a Titan.
- 「昨日、タイタンを倒したゲームをやったよ！」Yesterday, I played a game where I defeated a Titan!
- その物語には、恐ろしい巨人が登場する。Sono monogatari ni wa, osoroshii kyojin ga toujou suru.A terrifying titan appears in that story.
- 彼は、まさにスポーツ界の巨人だ。Kare wa, masa ni supoutsu-kai no kyojin da.He is truly a titan of the sports world.
Example conversation
Yui and Kenta are discussing a mythology book.
- 結衣 Yuiこの本に書いてある巨人はすごいです。Kono hon ni kaite aru kyojin wa sugoi desu.The titan written in this book is amazing.
- 健太 Kenta本当に大きくて力強いね。Hontō ni ōkikute chikara zuyoi ne.It's really big and powerful.
- 結衣 Yui昔の人は巨人を恐れていたのでしょう。Mukashi no hito wa kyojin o osorete ita no deshō.People in the past probably feared titans.
- 健太 Kentaきっとそうだと思うよ。Kitto sō da to omou yo.I'm sure that's the case.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “titan” translations and entries 巨人, タイタン, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries タイタン, 巨人, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
