小惑星(しょうわくせい)

しょうわくせい
noun
asteroid
1. asteroid
A small rocky body orbiting the sun, typically found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
小惑星(しょうわくせい)が地球(ちきゅう)に接近(せっきん)した。
An asteroid approached Earth.
小惑星(しょうわくせい)ベルトには多(おお)くの小惑星(しょうわくせい)がある。
There are many asteroids in the asteroid belt.
はやぶさは小惑星(しょうわくせい)からサンプルを持(も)ち帰(かえ)った。
Hayabusa brought back samples from an asteroid.

小惑星(しょうわくせい) refers to rocky bodies orbiting the sun, mostly found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

Forms

小(しょう) (small) + 惑星(わくせい) (planet) = literally "small planet"

Related words

Common collocations

Cultural note

Japan's Hayabusa missions successfully returned samples from asteroids Itokawa and Ryugu, making 小惑星(しょうわくせい) a well-known term in Japanese news.

Related Words

Related: 惑星(わくせい) (planet)
Related: 彗星(すいせい) (comet)
Related: 隕石(いんせき) (meteorite)
Related: 流星(りゅうせい) (meteor)
general
Added 2026.1.16 12:32 · Revised 2026.10.11 3:33
05000/05244_shouwakusei