How do you say "peninsula" in Japanese?

半島

han shima

Noun Kanji

In Japanese, "peninsula" is 半島 (han shima).

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Pronunciation

Hahn-shee-mah, three syllables, built from han meaning half plus shima, island.

Writing and usage

半島 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

町は狭い半島に位置しています。

machi ha semai han shima ni ichi shiteimasu.

The town sits on a narrow peninsula.

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How to remember 半島

Hanshima literally means half-island, a neat description of what a peninsula actually is.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

Questions about 半島

How do you pronounce 半島?

Hahn-shee-mah, three syllables, built from han meaning half plus shima, island.

Is 半島 formal or casual?

半島 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 半島 written in Japanese?

半島 is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as han shima.

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.

"Peninsula" 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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