Honshu

H4O1N1S1H4U1
US/ˈhɑnʃu/

proper noun

The main island of the archipelago of Japan.

Similar
Niphon
UncommonScrabble 12
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Meanings

proper noun

alternative Honshū

  1. The main island of the archipelago of Japan.

    A fascination with Hokkaido's wild country first drew the veterinarian to Abashiri, and he is a leading expert on the Ezo red fox. Like much of Hokkaido's wildlife, this fox is not found on Honshu.

    1980, National Geographic Society (U.S.), National geographic, →OCLC
    1 more example

    In the past, the Ainu (their selfname meaning 'person'), traditionally huntergatherers, occupied not only Hokkaido but also a considerable part of the island of Honshu until the middle the eighteenth century, […]

    2009, Nicolas Tranter, The Languages of Japan and Korea

    Synonyms: Niphon

Synonyms & antonyms

proper nounThe main island of the archipelago of Japan.

Similar
Niphon

Origin

From Japanese 本(ほん)州(しゅう) (Honshū, “main island”), from Middle Chinese 本 (pwón, “main”) + 州 (t͡ʃjuw, “province”).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic هُونْشُو
  • هُونْشُو (hunšū)the main island of the Japanese Archipelago
Chinese Mandarin 本州
  • 本州 (Běnzhōu)the main island of the Japanese Archipelago
Czech Honšú
  • Honšúthe main island of the Japanese Archipelago
French Honshū
  • Honshūthe main island of the Japanese Archipelago
German Honshū, Honshu
  • Honshūthe main island of the Japanese Archipelago
  • Honshuthe main island of the Japanese Archipelago
  • Honschuthe main island of the Japanese Archipelago
Greek Χόνσου
  • Χόνσου (Chónsou)the main island of the Japanese Archipelago
Hindi होंशू
  • होंशू (honshū)the main island of the Japanese Archipelago
Hungarian Honsú
  • Honsúthe main island of the Japanese Archipelago
Irish Hoinsiú
  • Hoinsiúthe main island of the Japanese Archipelago
Japanese 本州
  • 本州 (Honshū)the main island of the Japanese Archipelago
Korean 혼슈
  • 혼슈 (Honsyu)the main island of the Japanese Archipelago
Lithuanian Honšiu
  • Honšiuthe main island of the Japanese Archipelago
Polish Honsiu
  • Honsiuthe main island of the Japanese Archipelago
Portuguese Honshu
  • Honshuthe main island of the Japanese Archipelago
Russian Хонсю́
  • Хонсю́ (Xonsjú)the main island of the Japanese Archipelago
Spanish Honshū
  • Honshūthe main island of the Japanese Archipelago
Thai ฮนชู
  • ฮนชู (hon-chuu)the main island of the Japanese Archipelago
Turkish Honşu
  • Honşuthe main island of the Japanese Archipelago
Urdu ہونشو
  • ہونشو (honśū)the main island of the Japanese Archipelago
Cite this entry
APA

Honshu. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Honshu

MLA

“Honshu.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Honshu. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Honshu,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Honshu.

Source: Honshu on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.