How to say "spark" in Japanese

• スパークCommon
  noun, suru verb, intransitive verbA loanword for the literal sense of 'spark'. It appears mainly in technical and scientific contexts such as electricity and engines; for everyday speech, 火花 is usually the more natural choice.
• 火花ひばなJLPT N1approx.Common
  nounThe ordinary word for a literal spark — the flash of fire from flint, welding, fireworks, or an electric discharge. It can also appear in figurative expressions about clashing or friction between people.
  小ちいさな火花ひばなはしばしば大おおきな炎ほのおを起おこす。↗

  A small spark often kindles a large flame.
• 誘い水さそいみずCommon
  nounCovers only the figurative sense of 'spark' as a cause, impetus, or trigger that gets something started. It never means a physical spark of fire or electricity, so it is wrong for literal uses.

Use 「スパーク」 or 火花 for a literal spark of fire or electricity (火花 being the everyday word), and 「誘い水」 only for the figurative 'spark' meaning a trigger or impetus that sets something in motion.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• スパークspark
• 火花ひばなspark
• 種火たねびpilot light
• 火花を散らすひばなをちらすto give off sparks
• 誘い水さそいみずcause
• 火をつけるひをつけるto spark (an incident, etc.)
• 起爆剤きばくざいtrigger