昴ぼう星せい

also: すばるぼし

Meanings

Pleiades; Seven Sisters; Chinese "Hairy Head" constellation

Refers to the Pleiades star cluster, known as Subaru in Japanese. The term 昴星 (すばるぼし) is the traditional Japanese name. In Chinese astronomy, it corresponds to the "Hairy Head" mansion (昴宿). The reading ぼうせい is rare and mostly historical or technical.

Kanji

昴the Pleiades
星star, spot, dot

Related words

昴すばる
昴 is the more common and simpler way to refer to the Pleiades in Japanese. 昴星 is a longer, more formal or literary variant.
プレアデス星せい団だん
プレアデス星団 is the modern astronomical term for the Pleiades star cluster, while 昴星 is the traditional Japanese name.

Written forms

昴星
- すばるぼし
  Standard kanji spelling for the Pleiades star cluster. The reading ぼうせい is also possible but less common.
- ぼうせい
  Sino-Japanese reading; rarely used in modern Japanese. The reading すばるぼし is strongly preferred.
すばるぼしUsage100%

Etymology

The kanji 昴 is a Chinese character specifically used for the Pleiades. The Japanese reading すばる is of native origin, possibly related to the verb 統ばる (subaru) meaning 'to gather together', referring to the cluster of stars. The reading ぼうせい is the Sino-Japanese on'yomi.