Difference between 北辰 and 北極星 In Japanese, I found two common translations of the English word "north star/polaris". 1. 2. Could someone tell me the difference between the two? I saw that is used for the design on the Hokkaido flag, so maybe is more "romantic" and is more "scientific"? Thank you! ETA: "North star/pole star" in English means "a visible star that is approximately aligned with the Earth's axis of rotation" (from Wikipedia). "Polaris" is the name of the star that is currently the north star/pole star now. (Thanks virmaior)

[]{} is the word you hear and see to refer to the North Star basically 100% of the time in present-day Japan. That is the word you learn in school as a kid and use the rest of your life.

[]{} is seen mostly in company names and such. I could not speak for other Japanese-speakers but I could say that the word is basically non-existent in my life for referring to the North Star.

Thus, is both far more "scientific" and "romantic". To me, there is not even comparison.

I would love to hear different opinions from my fellow Japanese-speakers here.