How do you say "nostril" in Japanese?

鼻孔

bikou

Noun Kanji

In Japanese, "nostril" is 鼻孔 (bikou).

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Pronunciation

Bikou is bee-koh, two syllables with a long held second vowel, giving it a slightly nasal feel fittingly.

Writing and usage

鼻孔 is written using kanji. It's a noun, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.

Example sentence

冷たい空気が鼻を刺した。

tsumetai kuuki ga hana wo sashi ta.

The cold air stung his nostrils.

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How to remember 鼻孔

Say bee-koh through your nose a little and you'll almost feel the word describing the nostril itself.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

Questions about 鼻孔

How do you pronounce 鼻孔?

Bikou is bee-koh, two syllables with a long held second vowel, giving it a slightly nasal feel fittingly.

Is 鼻孔 formal or casual?

鼻孔 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 鼻孔 written in Japanese?

鼻孔 is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as bikou.

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.

"Nostril" in other languages

Curated by Jack Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Japanese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

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