翼
tsubasa[t͡sɨba̠sa̠]
The English word "wing" is translated into Japanese as either 翼 (tsubasa) or 羽.
Meaning: part of an animal (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 翼 | tsubasa | [t͡sɨba̠sa̠] (narrow) [jo̞kɯ̟] (narrow) |
| 羽 | hane | [ha̠ne̞] (narrow) [ha̠] (narrow) |
Both words refer to the wings of animals, such as birds or insects.
Which one should you use?
羽 (hane) is the more common, everyday word used to refer to the physical feathers or the wings of birds and insects. In contrast, 翼 (tsubasa) is often used in a poetic, grand or metaphorical sense to refer to wings.
How do you pronounce it?
tsubasa
Did you know?
- The word 羽 (wa/ha) is used as a counter for birds. Instead of saying 'three birds', a speaker says 'three wings' (三羽).
- The poetic word for wing, 翼 (tsubasa), is a nominalization of the classical verb 助く (tasuku), which means 'to assist' or 'to rescue'.
- The word 羽 (ha/hane) may share an ancient linguistic root with the Japanese word for 'leaf', which is 葉 (ha).
Examples in context
- その鳥の翼は折れていた。The bird's wing was broken.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use 翼 when describing a bird's wing.Tatoeba #207763 by arnab, translation #45018 by CK
- 彼は美しい翼を持っています。He has beautiful wings.
- 彼女は優雅に羽根を広げました。She gracefully spread her wings.
- 大きな翼を持つ鳥を見て。Ookina tsubasa o motsu tori o mite.Look at that bird with large wings.
- 竜の翼はとても強そうだ。Ryuu no tsubasa wa totemo tsuyosou da.The dragon's wings look very strong.
Example conversation
Two friends are watching a fantasy movie at home.
- 陽太 Yotaあの竜の翼、すごくかっこいいね。Ano ryuu no tsubasa, sugoku kakkoii ne.Those dragon wings are so cool, aren't they?
- 美咲 Misaki本当に、迫力があるね。Hontou ni, hakuryoku ga aru ne.Truly, they have a lot of impact.
- 陽太 Yota美咲、あんな翼があれば空を飛べるかな？Misaki, anna tsubasa ga areba sora o toberu kana?Misaki, I wonder if we could fly if we had wings like those?
- 美咲 Misaki陽太なら、きっと飛べると思うよ。Youta nara, kitto toberu to omou yo.I think you definitely could fly, Youta.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wing” translations and entries 翼, 羽, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 羽, 翼, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
