Poetic or literary term for a shooting star, literally 'night-crawling star'. Used in classical or romantic contexts rather than everyday speech; the common modern term is 流れ星.
A shooting star streaked across the night sky.
It is said that people long ago made wishes upon shooting stars.
流れ星 is the standard modern word for 'shooting star', while 夜這い星 is a poetic, old-fashioned synonym.
Most common kanji spelling for this poetic term for a shooting star.
Variant spelling without okurigana; less common but still encountered.
Alternate kanji using 婚 (marriage) instead of 夜這い (night crawling); rare and potentially confusing.
Variant of 婚星 with okurigana; very rare.
Compound of 夜這い (yobai, 'night crawling', an old custom of visiting a lover at night) and 星 (hoshi, 'star'), referring to a star that seems to crawl across the night sky. The exact origin is uncertain, but the term evokes a romantic, fleeting image.