Em Casalena
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Let’s Go to the Zoo! 40 Japanese Animal Words to Liven Up Your Vocabulary
We talk about animals a lot more than we realize.
We have our lion’s share of animal idioms, we give humans animal characteristics and we gush about our pets.
Maybe you watch adorable cat Vine compilation videos online. If you have a dog, you’ve probably snuggled them at least once today.
Humans and animals have a bond.
And maybe it’s because of that bond that we love to talk about animals so much.
If you’re studying the language, you’ll need to know at least a few Japanese animal terms, since Japanese people are just like everyone else when it comes to our mutual obsession with fuzzy creatures.
Let’s learn how to talk about animals… in Japanese!
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Why Should I Learn Japanese Animal Words?
Need some more convincing? Here are three crucial reasons to add some animal words to your Japanese vocabulary:
- We talk about animals and animal-related things more than we realize in everyday conversation. If you want to become more fluent, you’ll need to know these words at some point.
- Bulking up your vocabulary list will only increase your fluency in Japanese. Having a hefty vocabulary is a major part of improving fluency on your language-learning journey.
- Some Japanese animal words are difficult to pronounce or challenging to write, making them an ideal challenge for those who want to reach a new level in Japanese. Japanese nouns, including animal words, may have complicated kanji or be difficult to pronounce.
What better way to improve your Japanese than to challenge yourself with more difficult words?
40 Japanese Animal Words to Liven Up Your Vocabulary
Animals in Japanese
鼠 (ねずみ) — Mouse or rat
鼠はチーズを食べた。(ねずみ は ちーず を たべた。) — The rats ate the cheese.
犬 (いぬ) — Dog
The Japanese Shiba Inu dog breed was originally bred for hunting before the 19th century.
私の犬は柴犬です！(わたし の いぬ は しばいぬ です！) — My dog is a Shiba Inu!
子犬 (こいぬ) — Puppy
子犬 is literally “child dog.”
なんてかわいい子犬！(なんて かわいい こいぬ！) — What a cute puppy!
猫 (ねこ) — Cat
Cats are loved just as much in Japan as they are in the United States.
その猫は白黒です。(その ねこ は しろくろ です。) — That cat is black and white.
子猫 (こねこ) — Kitten
それらの子猫はとても小さいです。(それら の こねこ は とても ちいさい です。) — Those kittens are very small.
蝙蝠 (こうもり) — Bat
蝙蝠は哺乳類です。(こうもり は ほにゅうるい です。) — A bat is a mammal.
猿 (さる) — Monkey
Japanese snow monkeys, or macaques, love sharing hot springs with people in northern Japan.
猿は奇妙な動物です。(さる は きみょう な どうぶつ です。) — Monkeys are strange animals.
兎 (うさぎ) — Rabbit
その兎の耳は長い。(その うさぎ の みみ は ながい。) — That rabbit has long ears.
狐 (きつね) — Fox
The fox has been used throughout Japanese history as a symbol on masks and in other mediums. The kitsune are often portrayed as sly and dual-faced spirits who have been known to trick humans.
狐は鳥や鼠を食べる。(きつね は とり や ねずみ を たべる。) — Foxes eat birds and mice.
豚 (ぶた) — Pig
豚は大体、丸々と太っている。(ぶた は だいたい、まるまると ふとっている。) — Pigs are usually chubby.
狸 (たぬき) — Raccoon Dog
This subspecies of Asian raccoon dog is actually more closely related to dogs than raccoons. It’s also very prominent in Japanese folklore for its… uh… magical scrotum.
狸はいたずら好きです！(たぬき は いたずらずき です！) — Raccoon dogs are mischievous!
パンダ (ぱんだ) — Panda
パンダは絶滅危惧種です。(ぱんだ は ぜつめつ きぐしゅ です。) — The panda is an endangered species.
麒麟 (きりん) — Giraffe
The same word for “giraffe” in Japanese is also used to represent a mythical unicorn-like chimera from Chinese mythology.
麒麟は草食です。(きりん は そうしょく です。) — Giraffes are vegetarians.
鹿 (しか) — Deer
If you ever visit Nara in Japan, be sure to stop by Nara Park and say hello to the friendly deer it’s famous for. You can buy special food for them—and if you don’t, they’ll probably just help themselves to some of yours.
鹿はとてもかわいいです！(しか は とても かわいい です！) — Deer are so cute!
狼 (おおかみ) — Wolf
狼は美しいが、危険です。(おおかみ は うつくしいが、きけん です。) — Wolves are beautiful but dangerous.
鳥 (とり) — Bird
Cranes represent longevity in Japanese culture due to the old folklore myth that they can live for 1,000 years.
鳥が飛んでいる。(とり が とんで いる。) — The birds are flying away.
鶏 (にわとり) — Chicken
鶏が先か？卵が先か？(にわとり が さき か？たまご が さき か？) — Chicken first? Egg first?
象 (ぞう) — Elephant
雄の象は体重がとても重いです。(おす の ぞう は たいじゅう が とても おもい です。) — Male elephants are very heavy.
鴨 (かも) — Duck
それらの鴨はパンを食べるのが大好きだ。(それら の かも は ぱん を たべる の が だいすき だ。) — Those ducks love bread.
牛 (うし) — Cow
「モーモー」と牛は鳴いた。(「 もーもー」と うし は ないた。) — “Moo moo,” said the cow.
蛇 (へび) — Snake
Despite their bad reputation in other places in the world, snakes in Japanese mythology are considered beautiful symbols of life and death, likely due to the fact that they shed their skin.
They’re also seen as being tenacious and clever.
蛇は正しく理解されていない。(へび は ただしく りかい されていない。) — Snakes are misunderstood.
馬 (うま) — Horse
馬は30年間生きることができます。(うま は さんじゅう ねんかん いきる こと が できます。) — Horses can live for thirty years.
魚 (さかな) — Fish
It’s believed that over 10% of the world’s seafood production is consumed in Japan. No wonder the Toyosu fish market (formerly located in Tsukiji) is so popular!
私は焼いた魚を食べたい。(わたし は やいた さかな を たべたい。) — I want to eat a grilled fish.
Animal-related Words in Japanese
動物 (どうぶつ) — Animals
動物を見に行きましょう！(どうぶつ を みに いきましょう！) — Let’s go see some animals!
動物園 (どうぶつえん) — Zoo
Japan is slowly restructuring its zoos to be more comfortable for the inhabitants.
この動物園はとても素敵です。(この どうぶつえん は とても すてき です。) — This zoo is very nice.
猫カフェ (ねこ かふぇ) — Cat Cafe
Cat cafes are pretty much what they sound like! They’re cafes where you can enjoy a cup of coffee and play with some cute felines, many of which are up for adoption.
These cafes are popular in Japan as landlords don’t usually allow pets in Japanese apartment homes. They’re even catching on in the United States, as well!
あなたの奥さんが猫アレルギーだったら、猫カフェに行ってみてください。(あなた の おくさん が ねこ あれるぎー だったら、 ねこ かふぇ に いってみてください。) — If your wife is allergic to cats, visit a cat cafe.
水族館 (すいぞくかん) — Aquarium
その水族館には魚がたくさんいます。(その すいぞくかん に は さかな が たくさん います。) — There are a lot of fish in the aquarium.
招き猫 (まねきねこ) — Lucky Cat
The lucky cat or “beckoning cat” originated in Japan in Edo, now Tokyo, Japan. The breed of cat usually depicted as a lucky cat is the Japanese calico bobtail.
招き猫は繁栄をもたらす。(まねきねこ は はんえい を もたらす。) — The lucky cat brings prosperity.
毛 (け) — Fur
猫の毛は柔らかいです。(ねこ の け は やわらかい です。) — Cat fur is very soft.
髭 (ひげ) — Whiskers
犬には髭があります。(いぬ に は ひげ が あります。) — The dog has whiskers.
尾 (お)/しっぽ — Tail
チンチラにはふわふわしたしっぽがあります。(ちんちら に は ふわふわ した しっぽ が あります。) — Chinchillas have fluffy tails.
前足 (まえあし) — Front Legs
猫には前足がある。(ねこ に は まえあし が ある。) — Cats have front legs.
後ろ足 (うしろあし) — Back Legs
犬には後ろ足がある。(いぬ に は うしろあし が ある。) — Dogs have hind legs.
爪 (つめ) — Claws
The giant armadillo has the world’s longest claws, averaging around eight to nine inches. Doesn’t the kanji for this one look a bit like claws, too?
猫の爪は危険です。(ねこ の つめ は きけん です。) — A cat’s claws can be dangerous.
蹄 (ひづめ) — Hooves
パカパカという馬の蹄の音が聞こえた。(ぱかぱか という うま の ひづめ の おと が きこえた。) — I heard clops of a horse’s hooves.
牙 (きば) — Fang or Tooth
ライオンは鋭い牙を持っています。(らいおん は するどい きば を もって います。) — Lions have sharp fangs.
羽 (はね) — Feathers
孔雀は美しい羽を持っています。(くじゃく は うつくしい はね を もって います。) — Peacocks have beautiful feathers.
嘴 (くちばし) — Beak
ひよこの小さな嘴を見て！(ひよこ の ちいさな くちばし を みて！) — Look at the baby chick’s tiny beak!
水掻き (みずかき) — Web or Flipper
蛙は水掻きを使って泳いだ。(かえる は みずかき を つかって およいだ。) — The frog swam using its flippers.
鱗 (うろこ) — Scales
爬虫類には鱗があります。(はちゅうるい に は うろこ が あります。) — Reptiles have scales.
Animal words are pretty interesting, aren’t they? When it comes to Japanese, it’s interesting to see how the kanji for some words resemble the animal they describe.
Add these words to your vocabulary list and learn them to bring your language one step closer to fluency… and nature!
Em Casalena is a published author, freelance writer and music columnist who writes about a lot of stuff, from music to films to language.
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
