稲妻(いなずま)

いなずま
noun
lightning
1. lightning, lightning bolt
A flash of light in the sky caused by an electrical discharge during a thunderstorm.
稲妻(いなずま)が光(ひか)った。
Lightning flashed.
稲妻(いなずま)の後(あと)にすぐ雷(かみなり)が鳴(な)った。
Thunder rumbled immediately after the lightning.
稲妻(いなずま)のように速(はや)い。
Fast as lightning.
Common simile for extreme speed

The word 稲妻(いなずま) literally means 'rice plant husband/spouse' (稲(いな) = rice plant, 妻(つま) = spouse). Ancient Japanese believed lightning helped rice plants grow, viewing it as the 'husband' that made rice 'pregnant' with grain.

Also written as 電(いなずま) or 電光(いなずま).

Related vocabulary:

  • 雷(かみなり) (thunder; also used for lightning in general)
  • 落雷(らくらい) (lightning strike)
  • 雷光(らいこう) (lightning flash - formal)
  • 稲光(いなびかり) (lightning flash - poetic)

Expressions:

  • 稲妻(いなずま)が走(はし)る (lightning streaks across)
  • 稲妻(いなずま)型(がた) (zigzag pattern, like lightning)
general
Added 2026.1.14 21:54 · Revised 2026.1.19 21:14
04500/04989_inazuma