What does “hotaru” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “hotaru” to mean ‘firefly’ 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 together with its kanji expressions. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand “hotaru” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meanings of “hotaru”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “hotaru”.
- hotaru – 蛍/火垂る (ほたる) : a noun meaning ‘firefly’ or ‘lightning bug’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
Japanese native speakers use this noun normally to refer to an insect whose tail can emit a soft light in the evening.
“Hotaru” has two different kanji expressions. The first one is more common; the second one is highly related to the origin of this noun. To understand this noun more clearly, therefore, let me explain the second one in detail.
Hotaru in kanji
One kanji expression of “hotaru” contains the following two kanji characters:
- 火 : a kanji character widely used to mean ‘fire’ in Japanese.
- 垂 : a kanji character used to express the act of dropping or hanging down in Japanese.
These two kanji characters tell us that “hotaru” literally means ‘fire drops’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the actual meanings. I think, however, the kanji expression is still a good metaphor for fireflies. Their tails indeed look like fire drops in the evening sky.
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 the meanings of the expressions they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “hotaru” through the detailed kanji check above.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “hotaru” and one of its kanji expressions in detail. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “fireflies” in Japanese
watashi tachi wa kinou hotaru wo mi ta – 私達は昨日火垂るを見た (わたしたちはきのうほたるをみた)
We saw fireflies yesterday
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.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “watashi tachi” to make the subject in the sentence.
- 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 to say “yesterday” in Japanese.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “hotaru” to make the object in the sentence.
- mi – 見 (み) : one conjugation of the verb, “miru“, which means ‘to see’ 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 a typical usage of “hotaru”. In this example, it works together with the case particle, “wo”, to become the object in the sentence.
Example #2: another usage of “hotaru”
hotaru no kazu ga het te iru – 蛍の数が減っている (ほたるのかずがへっている)
The number of fireflies is decreasing.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- no – の : a case particle joining two nouns. Normally, the first one can work as a modifier to describe the second. In the example, this joins “hotaru” and “kazu”. The formed phrase literally means ‘the number of fireflies’ 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”.
- kazu – 数 (かず) : a noun meaning ‘number’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- 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 “hotaru no kazu” to make the subject in the sentence.
- het – 減っ (へっ) : one conjugation of the verb, “heru”, which means ‘to decrease’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form. In the example, this is used after “het” to make its te form, “het te”. Verbs need to be changed to their te forms to be connected with “iru”.
- iru – いる : an auxiliary verb used to express the continuity of the action described by its preceding verb. In the example, this is used after “het te” to express the continuity of its action.
This is another typical usage of “hotaru”. In this example, it works as a part of the noun phrase, “hotaru no kazu”, which means ‘the number of fireflies’ in Japanese. When we want to say “fireflies” in Japanese, anyway, this noun is always a good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “hotaru” in detail together with its kanji expressions. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- hotaru – 蛍/火垂る (ほたる) : a noun meaning ‘firefly’ or ‘lightning bug’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Japanese native speakers use this noun normally to refer to an insect whose tail can emit a soft light in the evening. Two kanji characters used in the second kanji expression literally mean ‘fire drops’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the actual meanings. I think, however, the kanji expression is still a good metaphor for fireflies. Their tails indeed look like fire drops in the evening sky.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
