Japanese word

風船

Pronunciation

Romajifūsen

Meaning

  • nounballoon

Example

子どもが風船を持っています。ko do mo ga fū sen o mo tte i ma su

The child has a balloon.

Illustration for 風船 (balloon)

More examples

祭りの入り口で、スタッフが風船を配っています。matsu ri no i ri guchi de su ta ffu ga fū sen o kuba tte i ma su

At the entrance to the festival, staff members are handing out balloons.

Core concept

Describes a hollow object that becomes larger and may float when air or another gas fills it.

Common phrases

  • 風船を膨らませるfū sen o fuku ra ma se ru

    inflate a balloon

  • 風船を割るfū sen o ware ru

    pop a balloon

  • 風船を配るfū sen o kuba ru

    hand out balloons

Definition in Japanese

空気やガスを満たして膨らませ、手に持ったり飾りにしたりする袋状のもの。kū ki ya ga su o mi ta shi te fuku ra ma se te ni mo tta ri kaza ri ni shi ta ri su ru fukuro jō no mo no

Word origin

The Japanese compound 風船 (fūsen) joins 風 (fū, "wind") with 船 (sen, "boat"); its literal "wind boat" wording presents a balloon as a vessel moving through the air.

Usage tips

  • In Japanese, 風船 (fūsen) is naturally paired with 割る (waru, "to burst or pop") when someone breaks it intentionally, while 割れる (wareru, "to burst") describes it breaking by itself.

Word lists with this word