The Meaning of bakuhatsu [爆発] In Japanese

爆発
ばくはつ
Romaji: bakuhatsu N2

What does 爆発 mean?

Translation and Meaning

explosion, burst, detonation

Definition

爆発 (bakuhatsu) means a violent, sudden physical explosion: an abrupt release of energy that produces blast effects such as shock, heat, pressure and fragmentation; the term is used to describe real-world detonations, blasts and ruptures in safety, engineering and reporting contexts.

Type

noun, verbal noun (suru-verb) (名詞・サ変動詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • 1. A figurative sudden outburst of emotion or behavior, such as an explosive display of anger or laughter.
  • 2. A rapid, large-scale increase or surge in quantity or popularity (as in a product or trend experiencing explosive growth).
  • 3. A sudden outbreak or flare-up of events, problems, or activity (e.g., a spike in incidents or demand).
  • 4. In compound or adjectival forms, describes something characterized by rapid, dramatic change (see 爆発的 (bakuhatsuteki)).

Composition

  • 爆: means to burst, blow up or explode, carrying the idea of a violent rupture.
  • 発: means to emit, depart, or originate (release or outbreak); together the characters convey an emission/bursting action—an emitted burst of force or energy.

Usage

Used in news, technical, emergency and everyday language, it appears in formal technical descriptions of detonations and structural failures as well as casual metaphors for sudden change; grammatically it functions as a noun and commonly appears with the verb ‘する’ to form an action (describing something exploding) and as part of adjectival compounds to describe scale or intensity.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: link the sound ‘baku’ to the English ‘boom’ and ‘hatsu’ to ‘hatch’ — imagine a hatch blowing open with a boom to recall the sudden release meaning of 爆発 (bakuhatsu).

Variations

  • 爆発的 (bakuhatsuteki), explosive; sudden surge
  • 炸裂 (sakuretsu), burst/rupture (often used for loud bursts or dramatic impacts)
  • 爆発音 (bakuhatsuon), explosion sound
  • 収束 (shuusoku), containment/settling (antonym in sense of ending an outbreak)
爆発