How to say "flying" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 飛行ひこうnoun, suru verb, intransitive verbThe general word for the act of flying or a flight, especially by aircraft. Choose this when talking about a plane flying from one place to another.
- 航空こうくうnounCovers aviation as a field or industry — the world of aircraft and air travel — rather than the act of flying itself, so it is not the word for describing something in flight.
- nounA loanword that seldom serves as a general word for flying; in Japanese it is chiefly known from the expression for a false start — setting off before the starting signal.
- 操縦そうじゅうnoun, suru verb, transitive verbRefers to piloting — operating the controls of an aircraft or ship — so it covers 'flying' only in the sense of flying a plane, not the flight itself.
- 飛翔ひしょうnoun, suru verb, intransitive verbA loftier word for soaring through the air, used especially of birds; it has a poetic, evocative nuance compared with the plainer 飛行.
Use 飛行 for flight as an act or activity, 航空 for aviation as a field, 操縦 for piloting an aircraft, 飛翔 for soaring in a lofty tone, and avoid 「フライング」 except for a false start.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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