蛍(ほたる)

ほたる
noun
firefly, lightning bug
1. firefly
A beetle that produces light from its abdomen.
夏(なつ)に蛍(ほたる)を見(み)に行(い)った。
I went to see fireflies in summer.
蛍(ほたる)が光(ひか)っている。
Fireflies are glowing.
川(かわ)の近(ちか)くで蛍(ほたる)がたくさん飛(と)んでいた。
Many fireflies were flying near the river.

蛍(ほたる) refers to fireflies, a beloved symbol of early summer in Japan.

KANJI:
蛍(ほたる/けい) - firefly (insect radical 虫)

CULTURAL TRADITIONS:

  • 蛍狩(ほたるが)り: firefly viewing (traditional summer activity)
  • 蛍(ほたる)の光(ひかり): 'Auld Lang Syne' (graduation song)

JAPANESE SPECIES:

  • 源氏蛍(げんじぼたる): Genji firefly (larger, brighter)
  • 平家蛍(へいけぼたる): Heike firefly (smaller)

SYMBOLISM:

  • Summer season
  • Fleeting beauty ({はかなさ})
  • Nostalgia

VERBS:
蛍(ほたる)が光(ひか)る: fireflies glow/flash

general
Added 2026.1.9 21:30 · Revised 2026.2.22 10:46
02000/02253_hotaru