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How to say 'Milky Way' in Japanese | 天の川

Wondering how to say 'Milky Way' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for Milky Way is 'Amanogawa', written as 天の川 in Japanese.'Milky Way' in hiragana is あまのがわ.

    word

    天の川

    Meaning

    Milky Way

    Reading

    あまのがわ

    amanogawa

    Kanji

    天Heaven 川River

    Explanation

    The Japanese noun '天の川 (あまのがわ)' refers to the 'Milky Way', the galaxy that contains our solar system. In Japanese culture, it is often associated with the Tanabata festival, where the story of two star-crossed lovers, Orihime and Hikoboshi, is celebrated. The Milky Way is seen as a river that separates the lovers, who are allowed to meet only once a year on the seventh day of the seventh month. Example sentences: The Milky Way is beautiful tonight「今夜の天の川は美しい」(こんやのあまのがわはうつくしい). According to legend, the Milky Way separates the lovers「伝説によると、天の川が恋人たちを隔てている」(でんせつによると、あまのがわがこいびとたちをへだてている).

    Part Of Speech

    noun

    Kanji JLPT

    N5

    Kanji Grade

    1

    Frequency

    2402

    Composition

    kanji-hiragana

    Handwriting

Kanji in the Word 天の川

This word contains 2 kanji characters:

  • kanji

    天

    Meaning

    Heaven

  • kanji

    川

    Meaning

    River

Hiragana in the Word 天の川

This word contains 1 Hiragana character :

  • hiragana

    の

    Reading

    No

Words Related to 天の川 Through the Kanji 天

These 12 Words contain the Kanji 天 as well.

  • word

    天皇

    Meaning

    Emperor

  • word

    天気予報

    Meaning

    Weather forecast

  • word

    天

    Meaning

    Sky, Heaven

  • word

    雨天

    Meaning

    Rainy weather

  • word

    天下

    Meaning

    World

  • word

    天井

    Meaning

    Ceiling

  • word

    天然

    Meaning

    Nature

  • word

    天気

    Meaning

    Weather

  • word

    天国

    Meaning

    Heaven

  • word

    歩行者天国

    Meaning

    Pedestrian zone

  • word

    天才

    Meaning

    Genius

  • word

    天候

    Meaning

    Weather

Words Related to 天の川 Through the Kanji 川

These 2 Words contain the Kanji 川 as well.

  • word

    川

    Meaning

    River

  • word

    小川

    Meaning

    Stream

Learn the Word 天の川

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What does 'Amanogawa' (天の川) mean?

'Amanogawa' means 'Milky Way' .

To help you master this word, here's an interactive lesson where you'll practice its readings and meanings.