Japanese word

惑星

Pronunciation

Romajiwakusei

Meaning

  • nounplanet

Example

地球は生命がある惑星です。chi kyū wa sei mei ga a ru waku sei de su

Earth is a planet with life.

Illustration for 惑星 (planet)

More examples

その惑星には液体の水があると考えられています。so no waku sei ni wa eki tai no mizu ga a ru to kanga e ra re te i ma su

The planet is thought to have liquid water.

Core concept

Describes a large body in space that travels around a star and shines by reflected light rather than its own light.

Common phrases

  • 惑星の表面waku sei no hyō men

    the surface of a planet

  • 惑星の大気waku sei no tai ki

    the atmosphere of a planet

  • 惑星を調べるwaku sei o shira be ru

    study a planet

Definition in Japanese

恒星の周りを回り、自ら光を放たず、重力でほぼ球形になった天体。kō sei no mawa ri o mawa ri mizuka ra hikari o hana ta zu jū ryoku de ho bo kyū kei ni na tta ten tai

Word origin

As a Sino-Japanese compound, 惑星 (wakusei) combines 惑 (waku, "to be puzzled") and 星 (sei, "star"); the name reflects the planets' wandering against the fixed stars.

Usage tips

  • In English, planet includes Earth, so the word does not refer only to distant worlds in outer space.

Word lists with this word