noun
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.
冬の夜空に昴が輝いている。
The Pleiades are shining in the winter night sky.
昴は日本では「すばる」と呼ばれ、古くから親しまれてきた。
The Pleiades have been called 'Subaru' in Japan and have been familiar since ancient times.
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.