Hanabi
/ha.na.bi/noun
The Japanese word for fireworks, also used in English as a cultural loanword and proper name.
Did you know?In Japan, hanabi often symbolizes impermanence because its spectacular beauty appears suddenly, blooms in the sky, and vanishes almost instantly.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Japonic
Proto-Japonic
*pana
“Flower or blossom; the reconstructed ancestor of Japanese hana”
Old Japanese
Old Japanese
pana
“Flower or blossom”
8th Century
Old Japanese
pana-bi
“Flower fire; an early form referring to fireworks or firework-like displays”
Modern Japanese
Japanese
hanabi
“Fireworks; hana becomes hana and hi, meaning fire, changes to bi through regular sound voicing”
20th–21st Century
English
hanabi
“A Japanese loanword for fireworks, especially in cultural, culinary, gaming, and entertainment contexts”
Explore more surprising origins