Hiroshima

American  

[heer-oh-shee-muh, hi-roh-shuh-muh, hee-raw-shee-mah] / ˌhɪər oʊˈʃi mə, hɪˈroʊ ʃə mə, ˈhi rɔˈʃi mɑ /

noun

1. a seaport on SW Honshu, in SW Japan: first military use of atomic bomb August 6, 1945.

---

Hiroshima British  

/ hɪˈrɒʃɪmə, ˌhɪrɒˈʃiːmə /

noun

1. a port in SW Japan, on SW Honshu on the delta of the Ota River: largely destroyed on August 6, 1945, by the first atomic bomb to be used in warfare, dropped by the US, which killed over 75 000 of its inhabitants. Pop: 1 113 786 (2002 est)

---

Hiroshima ¹ Cultural  

1. A Japanese city on which the United States dropped the first atomic bomb (see also atomic bomb) used in warfare, on August 6, 1945. After the devastation of the bombing, Hiroshima was largely rebuilt.

---

Hiroshima ² Cultural  

1. City on the southwest coast of Honshu Island, Japan; a commercial and industrial center.

---

Discover More

On August 6, 1945, Hiroshima was almost completely destroyed by the first atomic bomb (see also atomic bomb) ever dropped on a populated area. Followed by the bombing of Nagasaki, on August 9, this show of Allied strength hastened the surrender of Japan in World War II.

Many survivors of these bombings have suffered from a variety of diseases caused by radiation, such as leukemia.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Hiroshima

Researchers at Hiroshima University have found that the number of natural teeth a person has may provide useful clues about long-term survival after surgery for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026

The Hiroshima University team set out to determine whether oral health was also associated with how long patients survived after undergoing resection, the surgical removal of all or part of an organ, for PDAC.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026

"Of course, we need to work toward building a world without nuclear arms," Yoshimura told reporters on the anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing.

From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026

The wildfires threatening Madrid carried about as much energy as 29 of the bombs dropped on Hiroshima, said Resco de Dios.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

Forty-three seconds after dropping from the plane, at an altitude of 1,900 feet above Hiroshima, the bomb’s two pieces of uranium slammed together, setting off an explosive chain reaction.

From "Bomb" by Steve Sheinkin