飛行機

Pattern visualization

Examples

1. 飛行機で大阪に行きます。▶ —
   I will go to Osaka by airplane.
2. 飛行機の時間に間に合いました。▶ —
   I made it in time for the flight.

Collocations

Mnemonic

Hikouki (飛行機) is the Sino-Japanese "airplane" — 飛 (fly) + 行 (go) + 機 (machine) = "flying-going machine." A Meiji-era coinage adapting Western technology vocabulary, later re-exported back to Korean (bi-haeng-gi) and Chinese (fēijī). Compare: herikoputaa (helicopter, loanword), jetto-ki (jet, English + kanji), hikousen (airship). Categories: ryokakuki (passenger), kamotsuki (cargo), gun'youki (military). The flight-number counter is bin — JL123-bin (JAL flight 123). Japan's coinage spread across East Asia.

Quick check

1. Origin of the word hikouki / fēijī / bi-haeng-gi?

   • Meiji-era Japanese coinage from Western technology, exported to Korean and Chinese
   • Classical Chinese origin
   • Korean origin
   • Direct English translation