Hakken

Hakken is the Japanese noun 発見, meaning discovery or finding. It refers to the act of perceiving or uncovering something that was previously unknown or not obvious. The term is used across scientific, academic, archaeological, and everyday contexts, and it can denote a new finding as well as the moment of realization.

The word hakken is formed from the kanji 発, meaning to emit, begin, or develop, and 見, meaning to see. In Japanese, the compound conveys “coming into view” or “perceiving for the first time.” The verb form hakken suru means “to discover” or “to find,” and its noun form often appears in phrases describing results or events of discovery.

Common usage includes phrases such as 新発見 (shinhakken) for a “new discovery,” 発見者 (hakkensha) for a “discoverer,” and 発見する (hakken suru) as the verb “to discover.” In scientific or historical contexts, sentences like 科学者は新しい現象を発見した (The scientist discovered a new phenomenon) or 古代の発見 (an ancient discovery) are typical. The term can also pair with objects of discovery, as in 化石の発見 or 発見物.

In English-language writing about Japanese topics, hakken is often transliterated as hakken or translated as “discovery.” Related terms include 発見と認識の差 (the difference between discovery and recognition) and 見つける or 気づく for more general “to find” or “to notice.”