Japanese word

虹

Pronunciation

Romajiniji

Meaning

  • nounrainbow

Example

空に大きな虹が見えます。sora ni ō ki na niji ga mi e ma su

I can see a big rainbow in the sky.

Illustration for 虹 (rainbow)

More examples

空に虹が見えます。sora ni niji ga mi e ma su

I can see a rainbow in the sky.

写真を撮ろうとしたら、虹が消えてしまいました。sha shin o to rō to shi ta ra niji ga ki e te shi ma i ma shi ta

When I tried to take a picture, the rainbow disappeared.

Core concept

Refers to a curved band of colors that appears in the sky when light passes through raindrops.

Common phrases

  • 虹が出るniji ga de ru

    a rainbow appears

  • 虹を見るniji o mi ru

    see a rainbow

  • 虹がかかるniji ga ka ka ru

    a rainbow arches

Definition in Japanese

雨上がりなどに、空に現れる弧状の色の帯。ame a ga ri na do ni sora ni arawa re ru ko jō no iro no obi

Word origin

The Japanese noun 虹 (niji, "rainbow") is a native word of uncertain origin, while its written form uses the Chinese character 虹, which denotes the same natural phenomenon.

Usage tips

  • The phrase double rainbow became widely known in English after a 2010 viral video, giving rainbow a memorable place in internet culture.

Word lists with this word