What does taikonaut mean?
A taikonaut is a person who travels into space, usually as a private participant or space tourist rather than as a professional astronaut. The word is especially associated with commercial spaceflight and is often used for people who buy seats on spacecraft operated by private companies or participate in sponsored orbital journeys. A taikonaut may undergo medical screening, training, and safety preparation, but the term does not necessarily imply membership in a national astronaut corps. In reported English, it is commonly paired with “Japanese,” “commercial,” or “private,” reflecting the prominence of Japanese participants in early space-tourism publicity. The word is also used figuratively in discussions about access to space, orbital travel, and the future space-tourism industry. Although “astronaut” remains the general term for a professional space traveler, “taikonaut” more specifically emphasizes the private or commercial nature of the journey.
nounA person who travels into space, especially a private individual or non-professional astronaut participating in a spaceflight. The term is often used for space tourists and other participants who are not members of a professional astronaut corps.
- A private or non-professional traveler in space, especially a space tourist.
"The Japanese businessman became an early taikonaut after paying for a journey to the International Space Station."
"Several prospective taikonauts completed the required medical screening for commercial spaceflight."
"The documentary followed an ordinary family that hoped to become the first taikonauts on the proposed journey."
The regular plural is used for both individual travelers and groups of space tourists.
"The prospective taikonauts completed their training in the United States."
Taikonaut turns the idea of an astronaut into a role for anyone who can purchase a seat aboard a commercial spacecraft.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does taikonaut come from?
“Taikonaut” is a modern coinage combining Japanese taiko, meaning “drum,” with the ending of “astronaut.” The blend was popularized in connection with Japanese spaceflight enthusiasts and prospective private space travelers in the 1990s. The drum reference is culturally distinctive rather than a direct translation of “space tourist,” and the word has since become a general English term for a non-professional participant in spaceflight.
Related word forms
How taikonaut is actually used
The term is most common in international and commercial-space contexts. It is sometimes used more broadly for any space traveler, including professional astronauts, although “space tourist” is clearer for a private passenger.
Easily confused with taikonaut
An astronaut is generally a professional spacecraft crew member trained for spaceflight, whereas a taikonaut usually refers to a non-professional space traveler or space tourist.
A cosmonaut is specifically a space traveler associated with the Soviet or Russian space program, while taikonaut is used more broadly for private or non-professional space travelers.