Pleiades; Seven Sisters; Chinese "Hairy Head" constellation
Refers to the Pleiades star cluster (M45). In Chinese astronomy, it is one of the 28 mansions (二十八宿) and part of the White Tiger (白虎) group. The reading すばる is the most common; すまる and ぼう are rare or archaic readings.
The Pleiades are shining in the winter night sky.
The Pleiades have been called 'Subaru' in Japan and have been familiar since ancient times.
Standard kanji spelling for the Pleiades star cluster.
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing, especially when the kanji is not needed.
The Japanese name すばる is of native origin, possibly related to the verb 統ばる (subaru, 'to gather together'), referring to the cluster's appearance. The kanji 昴 is a Chinese character specifically for this constellation.