What does Akatsuki mean?

If you watch the anime Naruto, you have probably seen the term Akatsuki mentioned quite often, but have you stopped to think about the true meaning of Akatsuki in the Japanese language? Have you heard of the train named Akatsuki? And a space probe?

The use of the term Akatsuki is rarely used today, but thanks to the Naruto Anime, this term has ended up standing out. Another anime that carries this word is Akatsuki no Youna.

What is Akatsuki in Naruto?

Akatsuki is a group of characters from the famous manga and anime series “Naruto”. The group is formed by powerful ninjas with supernatural abilities who work in secret and are considered traitors by the ninja government of the country of Kirigakure.

The group is led by Pain, a ninja with resurrection abilities, and aims to capture the nine legendary demons known as “Tails”, considered the source of all ninja strength.

The members of Akatsuki are known for wearing black clothes with red hoods and red hand seals featuring the image of a lotus flower.

What does Akatsuki mean in the Japanese language?

The word Akatsuki 「暁」means dawn, sunset, or evening. Depending on the composition and combination of ideograms, Akatsuki can form words like moonless dawn or words related to brightness.

The ideogram 暁 has the sun on the left, and the right side is used phonetically to convey the idea of “becoming white”. Originally, it meant the moment when the dark eastern sky turned white, which was “dawn”.

It is believed that its reading derives from the ideograms「明」which means brightness and 「月」which means moon or month. The reading also refers to the Red Moon, derived from 「赤い」which means red.

It is important to remember that the ideogram is just one aspect of Japanese writing and that the word “akatsuki” can also be written in hiragana or katakana.

Akatsuki 「列車」 – Night Train in Japan

Akatsuki was a night train service that operated in Japan by JR West, running from Kyoto Station to Nagasaki Station round trip.

It traveled along the main lines of Tōkaido, Sanyō, Kagoshima, and Nagasaki. Starting in October 2005, the train was coupled with the Naha Sleeper between Kyoto Station and Tosu Station.

Due to the decline in the number of passengers, both the Naha service and Akatsuki were discontinued after the schedule revision on March 15, 2008.

Akatsuki「探査機」- Japanese Space Probe

Previously known as the Venus Climate Orbiter (VCO) and Planet-C, Akatsuki is an unmanned Japanese space probe designed to explore Venus.

It was launched aboard an H-IIA 202 rocket on May 20, 2010. The total launch mass of the probe, including propellant, was 517.6 kg, with 34 kg of scientific instruments.

The mission arrived at Venus on December 7, 2010 (JST), but failed to enter orbit around the planet.