風 船(ふうせん)

ふうせん

noun

balloon

1. balloon

A thin rubber or plastic bag filled with air or helium, used as a toy or decoration. Also refers to hot air balloons in some contexts, though 気球(ききゅう) is more specific for that meaning.

子(こ)どもが風船(ふうせん)を膨(ふく)らませている。

A child is blowing up a balloon.

風船(ふうせん)が風(かぜ)に飛(と)ばされて空(そら)に消(き)えた。

The balloon was carried away by the wind and disappeared into the sky.

誕生日(たんじょうび)パーティーの会場(かいじょう)を色(いろ)とりどりの風船(ふうせん)で飾(かざ)り付(つ)けた。

We decorated the birthday party venue with colorful balloons.

Usage

風船(ふうせん) literally means "wind ship" from the characters 風(かぜ) (wind) and 船(ふね) (ship). In modern usage, it almost always refers to toy or decorative balloons. For hot air balloons used for flight, 気球(ききゅう) is preferred.

Common collocations

風船(ふうせん)を膨(ふく)らませる (to inflate a balloon)
風船(ふうせん)が割(わ)れる (a balloon pops)
風船(ふうせん)を飛(と)ばす (to release a balloon into the air)
ヘリウム風船(ふうせん) (helium balloon)
水(みず)風船(ふうせん) (water balloon)

Similar words

風船(ふうせん): balloon (toy or decorative)
気球(ききゅう): hot air balloon; balloon (for flight)
バルーン: balloon (English loanword, used for decorative/event balloons)

Related Words

Compare: 気球(ききゅう) (hot air balloon)

general

Added 2026.3.2 17:34 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01

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