How do you say "spotlight" in Japanese?

In Japanese, "spotlight" is スポットライト (supottoraito). It is a noun pronounced "soo-poh-ttoh-rah-ee-toh".

Listen to the pronunciation:

Pronunciation

スポットライト is written in katakana. Romanised as supottoraito, it sounds roughly like "soo-poh-ttoh-rah-ee-toh" to an English ear.

Example sentence

あのスポットライトはとても大きいです。

Ano Supottoraito wa totemo ookii desu.

That spotlight is very large.

Usage notes

Supottoraito (スポットライト) means spotlight in Japanese. This noun describes a feature or object found in indoor or outdoor environments.

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Questions about スポットライト

How do you pronounce スポットライト?

スポットライト is romanised as supottoraito. Say it roughly like "soo-poh-ttoh-rah-ee-toh" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is スポットライト formal or casual?

スポットライト 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 スポットライト written in Japanese?

スポットライト is written using katakana. Katakana is typically used for words of foreign origin or to give emphasis.

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.