Word for the Day: Hayabusa

Motorcycle enthusiasts out there might say "duh" to this post, but I just learned tonight about the Hayabusa motorcyle from Suzuki, the world's fastest production motorcycle at a top 186mph. (I was watching my first UFC fight at a friend's house and "Hayabusa" was on the butt of a fighter's trunks. ;) )

For our language lesson of the night, Hayabusa (ハヤブサ, 隼) is Japanese for "(Peregrine) Falcon" and is apparently a metaphor often used for speed, as the peregrine falcon is famous for its diving speed. The kanji is literally the old radical for "bird" 隹 over "ten" 十, so perhaps the idea was the "speed of ten birds"?

Photo copyright Yuichiro Katsumoto