How Do You Say Hiroshima in Japanese?

Hiroshima in Japanese is 広島, and the pronunciation is closer to hee-roh-shee-mah than the way most English speakers say it. Four syllables, each one roughly equal in length, no stress accent on any single beat. That’s the short answer. The longer version involves understanding why English ears hear it differently, what the two characters in the name actually mean, and a few things that come up if you try to use the word while you’re actually here. I’ve lived in Hiroshima for a few years now, and I still occasionally hear visitors apologize for their pronunciation to locals who genuinely don’t mind. This article covers the basics, the writing system, and a few things worth knowing before you arrive.

The pronunciation, broken down

The Japanese word is four morae: hi-ro-shi-ma. In Japanese phonology, each mora gets roughly the same duration, which is why the word sounds flatter and more even than the English version. English speakers tend to stress the second syllable — hi-ROH-shi-muh — and compress the last two. Japanese speakers don’t do that.

A serviceable approximation: say “he-row-she-mah” at an even pace. Don’t rush the end. The final “ma” is not swallowed. If you say it at normal conversation speed without stressing any particular syllable, you’ll be understood without any issue.

The “hi” at the start is also slightly softer than an English “hee” — closer to the Spanish “ji” sound, though not quite. Most Japanese people will know what you mean regardless of how you say it, so don’t overthink this part.

What the characters mean

広島 is two kanji. The first, 広 (hiro), means wide or broad. The second, 島 (shima), means island. So the name translates roughly as “broad island” or “wide delta island” — which makes sense geographically. Hiroshima sits on a river delta where the Ōta River splits into several channels before reaching the sea. The flat, spreading land between those branches is the city center you walk around today.

The island reading isn’t metaphorical. The city is literally built on a series of small alluvial islands in the delta. If you look at a map, you can see how the river arms frame the different neighborhoods.

How to write it

In Japanese, Hiroshima is written 広島 in kanji. In hiragana, it’s ひろしま. In katakana, ヒロシマ — which you’ll sometimes see on peace-related monuments and international documents, possibly because katakana carries a more formal or foreign-referencing weight in certain contexts. The official city name uses the kanji form.

If you’re trying to type it, most Japanese input systems will convert “hiroshima” typed in romaji directly to 広島 once you hit the conversion key. You won’t need to hunt for the individual characters.

Does it matter how you pronounce it?

Honestly, not much. Japanese people are accustomed to foreign visitors approximating Japanese place names, and Hiroshima is one of the most internationally recognizable cities in Japan. Even a heavily accented English pronunciation will be understood. What helps is getting the number of syllables right — four, not three — and not over-stressing the second one.

Where it does come up: if you’re asking for directions or talking to a taxi driver who has limited English, saying the name clearly and evenly matters more than hitting the exact phonology. “Hi-ro-shi-ma” at a steady pace will always land.

For context, the Hiroshima Dialect (Hiroshima-ben) also has its own rhythmic quirks distinct from standard Tokyo Japanese, so even locals have regional variation. There’s no single perfect pronunciation being guarded here.

FAQ

Three questions below that come up often enough to be worth writing out.

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Practical note for your trip

If you’re looking at the city beyond the name, the Hiroshima neighborhoods guide covers the main areas in plain terms. And if you’re working out whether to stay in Hiroshima or base yourself elsewhere, should you stay in Hiroshima or day trip from Osaka is worth a read. For first-timer logistics, the Hiroshima travel tips post covers the practical side in more depth.