Hoshi (星?) is a Japanese word which means star. It is also a surname. Hoshi (干し or 乾し?) is an unrelated word meaning "dried." Hoshi (保志?) is a Japanese surname with a similar pronunciation.
Hōshi (法師?) is unrelated to the preceding words, and pronounced differently. It is a technical term in Buddhism (see below). Many additional words in Japanese have the same pronunciation as it.
People with the surname Hoshi:
- Hamuko Hoshi (星), Japanese professional wrestler
- Sumo yokozuna Hokutoumi Nobuyoshi, born Hoshi (保志) Nobuyoshi
- Shinichi Hoshi (星), Japanese novelist and science-fiction writer
- Sōichirō Hoshi (保志), Japanese voice actor
In fiction:
- Doctor Light (Kimiyo Hoshi), fictional superheroine in DC Comics
- Hoshi Sato, character in the fictional Star Trek universe and communications officer aboard the starship Enterprise (NX-01)
- Ryu Hoshi, video game character created by Capcom
- Lieutenant Hoshi, a character of Battlestar Galactica
In manga and anime:
- Hoshi no Kābi, anime series based on Nintendo's Kirby franchise
- Hoshi no Koe, half hour Japanese anime OAV conceived, directed, and animated by one man
- La Seine no Hoshi, 1975 anime series based on the movie La Tulipe noire
- Hoshi, a character from Arakawa Under the Bridge
Other:
- Hōshi (法師), in Zen Buddhism, a Dharma Holder, one who has completed kōan study and is permitted to hold daisan (dokusan)
- Hoshi (星), intersection traditionally marked with a small dot on the board in the game of Go
- Hoshi University, founded by Hajime Hoshi (星), father of Shinichi Hoshi
- Biwa hōshi (法師), travelling performers in the era of Japanese history preceding the Meiji period
- Hoshi Ryokan