Hikari is a Japanese word for ‘light’, explained

What does “hikari” mean in Japanese?

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

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “hikari”
• Hikari in kanji
  • How to say “light” in Japanese
  • Another example of “hikari”
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “hikari”

Let me start with the definition and meanings of hikari.

• hikari – 光 (ひかり) : a noun meaning ‘light’ in Japanese. Depending on the context and situation, this can also mean a ‘ray’ or ‘flash’.

Japanese native speakers use this noun to refer to something bright produced by energy sources regardless of whether it is natural or artificial.

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

Hikari in kanji

The kanji character of hikari consists of the following two parts:

• 火 : a kanji character used to mean a ‘fire’ in Japanese.
• 儿 : a kanji radical expressing the shape of legs. This radical can also be found in other words like kyoudai and oniichan.

From these two parts, we can understand that the kanji character of hikari literally implies a person walking around with a fire. This literal interpretation is not in line with the actual meanings, but still understandable, I think. Today we can produce light by electricity, but people in the past needed to start a fire first. The original concept of hikari can therefore be related to a person walking around with a fire.

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

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of hikari together with its kanji parts. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.

How to say “light” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kon’ya – 今夜 (こんや) : a noun meaning ‘tonight’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb almost anywhere in a sentence.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works as a topic marker after kon’ya to put a focus on it.
• tsuki – 月 (つき) : a noun meaning ‘the moon’ in Japanese.
• no – の : a case particle used to join two nouns. Normally, the first one can work as a modifier to describe the second. In the example, this is used to join tsuki and hikari. The formed phrase literally means ‘the light of the moon’ in Japanese. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this case particle is very similar to that of the English preposition, of.
• 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 tsuki no hikari to make the subject in the sentence.
• mabushii – 眩しい (まぶしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘bright’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of hikari. In this example, it works as a part of the noun phrase, tsuki no hikari, which means ‘the light of the moon’ or just ‘the moonlight’ in Japanese. When we want to mean ‘light’ in Japanese, anyway, this noun is a very good option.

Another example of “hikari”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• tachi – 達 (たち) : a suffix used after a noun or pronoun to make its plural form. In the example, this is used after watashi to make its plural form, watashi tachi, which means ‘we’ in Japanese. Learn more about Japanese plural.
• kinou – 昨日 (きのう) : a noun meaning ‘yesterday’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb almost anywhere in a sentence. In the example, this works as an adverb in the middle of the sentence to mean ‘yesterday’ in Japanese.
• akai – 赤い (あかい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘red’ in Japanese. In the example, this works in front of hikari to describe it.
• wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after the noun phrase, akai hikari, to make the object in the sentence.
• mi – 見 (み) : one conjugation of the verb, miru, which means ‘to see’, ‘to look’, ‘to watch’, 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. In the example, this is used after mi to make its past tense form, mi ta.

This is another example of hikari. In this example, it works together with the i-adjective, akai, to mean ‘a red light’ in Japanese.

Summary

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

• hikari – 光 (ひかり) : a noun meaning ‘light’ in Japanese. Depending on the context and situation, this can also mean a ‘ray’ or ‘flash’. Japanese native speakers use this noun to refer to something bright produced by energy sources regardless of whether it is natural or artificial. The upper part of this kanji character means a ‘fire’; the lower part expresses the shape of legs. So, this kanji literally implies a person walking around with a fire. This literal interpretation is not in line with the actual meanings, but still understandable, I think. Today we can produce light by electricity, but people in the past needed to start a fire first. The original concept of hikari can therefore be related to a person walking around with a fire.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.