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Kanji for Pleiades

The kanji most commonly used for "Pleiades" is 昴.

Kanji that mean Pleiades

  • pleiades, subaru

    Onyomi: boh, koh Kunyomi: subaru 9 strokes Jinmeiyō

昴 is the single character for the Pleiades, the star cluster the Japanese call Subaru — literally “the gathered ones”, from the old verb subaru, to unite. It is one of the few kanji that names a specific object in the night sky, and it has been admired in Japan for a thousand years: Sei Shōnagon opened a passage of The Pillow Book with 星は昴 — “among stars, the Pleiades”.

The carmaker Subaru took both the name and the emblem from this cluster; the six stars in its logo stand for the six companies that merged into one, exactly what subaru means.

As a given name, 昴 (Subaru) is well established for boys, helped by a famous 1980 ballad of the same name. It is a Jinmeiyō character — approved for names — and carries no negative senses at all: a bright cluster, unity, and quiet literary pedigree.

Before you use Pleiades kanji

昴 is safe and rather elegant: it means only the Pleiades and, by extension, unity — six stars seen as one. Japanese readers will likely also think of the car brand and the given name Subaru, both positive associations. There is no hidden negative reading.

Other meanings to explore

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