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首星 (しゅせい) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

首しゅ星せい

しゅ

せ

い

Meanings

1

noun

brightest star in a constellation; Alpha star

astronomy

Technical astronomy term for the brightest star in a constellation, often designated by the Greek letter Alpha.

オリオン座ざの首しゅ星せいはベテルギウスです。
The brightest star in Orion is Betelgeuse.
首しゅ星せいには通つう常じょう、α星せいという記き号ごうが付つけられる。
The brightest star in a constellation is usually given the designation Alpha.

Kanji

首neck, counter for songs and poems
星star, spot, dot

Similar words

α星あるふぁせい
α星 is the more common term for the Alpha star of a constellation, while 首星 is a less frequent synonym.

Etymology

From 首 (head, chief) + 星 (star), literally 'chief star'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term is used in modern astronomy to refer to the brightest star in a constellation.