衛星（えいせい、eiseい）
- satellite

The Japanese word 衛星 (えいせい) generally refers to a satellite. It can describe both natural satellites like the moon, and artificial satellites created by humans. It is something that orbits a celestial body, like a planet or a star. It's often used in contexts related to space, technology, and communication.

⚫︎ 地球の衛星 Translation: Earth's satellite ⚫︎ 通信衛星 Translation: Communication satellite ⚫︎ 宇宙ステーションは人工の衛星］です。 Translation: A space station is an artificial satellite.

This word is used in a variety of situations. ⚫︎When discussing space exploration. ⚫︎When talking about telecommunications, broadcasting, or GPS systems that use satellites. ⚫︎When describing celestial bodies that orbit planets. You can use it in formal or informal conversations, depending on the context.

The word 衛星 is typically written in kanji and hiragana: 衛星. ⚫︎ The kanji 衛 means "protect" or "guard," and 星 means "star." ⚫︎ The reading, えいせい, is always in hiragana, unless you use it in katakana as a technical term. There are no variations in the okurigana for this word.

There are no direct, single-word synonyms for 衛星 in Japanese. The closest would be phrases that describe the type of 衛星, such as: ⚫︎ 人工衛星 (artificial satellite) ⚫︎ 月 (moon - a natural satellite)

There are no direct antonyms for 衛星. You might use words that describe things not related to satellites, such as: ⚫︎ 地上 (ground/earth's surface) ⚫︎ 地球 (Earth/the planet)

新しい気象衛星が打ち上げられました。 ・Translation: A new weather satellite was launched. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the launch of a new weather satellite, highlighting its function and the event itself.

この衛星は世界中に電波を送っています。 ・Translation: This satellite is sending radio waves all over the world. ・Explanation: This sentence describes a satellite's function in transmitting radio waves globally.

The word 衛星 is a compound word. ⚫︎ 衛 (ei) means "to protect" or "guard." ⚫︎ 星 (sei) means "star" or "celestial body." The term 衛星 was created to describe the concept of something protecting or orbiting a celestial body.