How do you say "buoy" in Japanese?

ブイ

bui

Noun Katakana

In Japanese, "buoy" is ブイ (bui).

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Pronunciation

ブイ is written using katakana. Romanised as bui, it sounds roughly like "boo-ee" to an English ear.

Writing and usage

Bui is a short katakana loanword from English buoy. One syllable in English becomes two in Japanese (bu-i) following standard phonetic patterns.

Example sentence

部屋にブイがあります。

Heya ni Bui ga arimasu.

There is a buoy in the room.

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How to remember ブイ

Bui is short, punchy, like the word buoy itself. Picture a floating marker bobbing in water.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

See more Japanese nouns.

Questions about ブイ

How do you pronounce ブイ?

ブイ is romanised as bui. Say it roughly like "boo-ee" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is ブイ formal or casual?

ブイ is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.

How is ブイ written in Japanese?

ブイ is written using katakana. Bui is a short katakana loanword from English buoy.

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Buoy" in other languages

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