Hanabi is the Japanese word for fireworks, explained

What does “hanabi” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “hanabi” to mean ‘fireworks’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese movies, songs, novels, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “hanabi” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “hanabi”
• Hanabi in kanji
  • Example #1: how to say “fireworks” in Japanese
  • Example #2: another usage of “hanabi”
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “hanabi”

Let me start with the definition and meaning of “hanabi”.

• hanabi – 花火 (はなび) : a noun meaning ‘fireworks’ in Japanese. This can also work as singular. Learn more about Japanese plural and singular.

Native speakers use this noun to refer to ball-shaped things that contain flammable powder and explode loudly in the sky with making colorful lights. They also use it to refer to colorful lights produced by the ball-shaped things.

The definition and meaning are simple and clear, I think. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.

Hanabi in kanji

The kanji expression of “hanabi” consists of the following two characters:

• 花 : a kanji character widely used to mean ‘flower’ in Japanese. This kanji can also be found in other words like “hana“.
• 火 : a kanji character widely used to mean ‘fire’ in Japanese. This kanji can also be found in other words like “hi“.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “hanabi” literally means ‘flower fire’. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the meaning, but a good metaphor for fireworks, I think. Fireworks indeed look like flowers made of fire.

When we meet new kanji expressions, we should check their kanji characters in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji characters tell us a lot about meanings of words they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “hanabi” through the detailed kanji check above.

Then, let me explain how to use “hanabi” through the example sentences below.

Example #1: how to say “fireworks” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “boku” to make the subject in the sentence.
• ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “hanabi” to make the object in the sentence.
• suki – 好き (すき) : one conjugation of the na-adjective, “sukina”, which means ‘favorite’ in Japanese. Native speakers, however, often use this as an individual word to mean ‘to like’ or ‘to love’. In the example, this is used to mean ‘to love’.
• desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the example, this is used after “suki” to make it sound polite.

This is a typical usage of “hanabi”. When we want to say “fireworks” in Japanese, this noun is a very good option.

Example #2: another usage of “hanabi”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• kinou – 昨日 (きのう) : a noun meaning ‘yesterday’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb in almost anywhere in a sentence. In the example, it works as an adverb to say “yesterday” in Japanese.
• matsuri – 祭り (まつり) : a noun meaning ‘festival’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• de – で : a case particle used to say where someone does something. In the example, this is used after “matsuri” to say where “watashi” saw “hanabi”.
• wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “hanabi” to make the object in the sentence.
• mi – 見 (み) : one conjugation of the verb, “miru”, which means ‘to see’, ‘to watch’, ‘to look’, or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form. In the example, this is used after “mi” to make its past tense form, “mi ta”.

This is another typical usage of “hanabi”. In this example, it again works as the object word in the sentence.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “hanabi” in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• hanabi – 花火 (はなび) : a noun meaning ‘fireworks’ in Japanese. This can also work as singular. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘flower fire’. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the meaning, but a good metaphor for ‘fireworks’, I think. Fireworks indeed look like flowers made of fire.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.