隕石(いんせき)

いんせき
noun
meteorite
1. meteorite
A solid piece of debris from an asteroid or comet that survives passage through the atmosphere and lands on Earth's surface.
博物館(はくぶつかん)で隕石(いんせき)を見(み)た。
I saw a meteorite at the museum.
隕石(いんせき)の分析(ぶんせき)から太陽系(たいようけい)の歴史(れきし)がわかる。
Analysis of meteorites reveals the history of the solar system.
隕石(いんせき)が畑(はたけ)に落(お)ちているのを農家(のうか)が発見(はっけん)した。
A farmer found a meteorite that had fallen in the field.

隕石(いんせき) refers to a meteorite. 隕(いん) means 'fall from the sky' and 石(せき) means 'stone.'

METEOR TERMINOLOGY:

  • 流星(りゅうせい): meteor (streak of light)
  • 流(なが)れ星(ぼし): shooting star (casual)
  • 隕石(いんせき): meteorite (rock that reaches ground)
  • 隕鉄(いんてつ): iron meteorite

TYPES:

  • 石質(せきしつ)隕石(いんせき): stony meteorite
  • 鉄(てつ)隕石(いんせき): iron meteorite
  • 石鉄(せきてつ)隕石(いんせき): stony-iron meteorite

COMMON EXPRESSIONS:

  • 隕石(いんせき)が落(お)ちる: a meteorite falls
  • 隕石(いんせき)を拾(ひろ)う: to find/pick up a meteorite
  • 隕石(いんせき)クレーター: meteorite crater
  • 隕石(いんせき)衝突(しょうとつ): meteorite impact

SCIENTIFIC VALUE:

  • Meteorites provide material from outer space for scientific study
  • Some contain organic compounds or minerals not found on Earth
general
Added 2026.1.14 19:37 · Revised 2026.3.7 13:40
05000/05054_inseki