hibakusha

American  

[hee-buh-koo-shuh, hee-bah-koo-shah] / ˌhi bəˈku ʃə, hiˈbɑ kʊˌʃɑ /

noun

plural

hibakushas, hibakusha

1. a survivor of either of the atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945.

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hibakusha British  

/ hɪˈbɑːkʊʃə /

noun

1. a survivor of either of the atomic-bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945

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Etymology

Origin of hibakusha

< Japanese, equivalent to hibaku bombed ( hi- suffer + baku- burst open, explode < Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese bèi bào ) + -sha person < Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese chě

Example Sentences

A few years ago, while visiting Hiroshima, Japan, I attended a talk by a well-known peace activist and hibakusha — an atomic bomb survivor.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 15, 2024

As of March, 113,649 survivors, whose average age is 85, are certified as hibakusha and eligible for government medical support, according to the Health and Welfare Ministry.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 9, 2023

But an equally disturbing and important story should not be forgotten—the fate of the more than 500,000 hibakusha, those Japanese civilians who survived the nuclear bombing of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

From Scientific American • Aug. 6, 2023

Elderly hibakusha often talk about seeing a world free of nuclear arms, said survivor Masashi Ieshima, who now lives in Tokyo.

From Reuters • May 16, 2023

Taki Homosoto was now a hibakusha, a survivor of Hiroshima, an embarrassing and dishonorable fact he would desperately try to conceal for the rest of his life.

From Terminal Compromise: computer terrorism: when privacy and freedom are the victims: a novel by Schwartau, Winn