Type Settlement Usage Japanese Scripts 長谷(Japanese Kanji) はせ(Japanese Hiragana) Pronounced Pron. /hä.se̞/ Meaning & History Etymologically from Japanese 泊 (hatsu) meaning "anchorage" and 瀬 (se) meaning "shallows". The spelling of 長谷 is from a shortening of 長谷 の 泊瀬 (nagatani no hatsuse) meaning "long valley of Hatsuse" [1]. This is the name of a place in Sakurai, Japan.