Animals in Japanese: word list with pictures
60 words · tap 🔊 to hear each one in Japanese.
| Picture | English | Japanese | Say it | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Cow | うし | ushi | |
 | Bull | おうし | oushi | |
 | Buffalo | すいぎゅう | suigyuu | |
 | Goat | やぎ | yagi | |
 | Sheep | ひつじ | hitsuji | |
 | Horse | うま | uma | |
 | Donkey | ろば | roba | |
 | Camel | らくだ | rakuda | |
 | Pig | ぶた | buta | |
 | Yak | ヤク | yaku | |
 | Dog | いぬ | inu | |
 | Cat | ねこ | neko | |
 | Rabbit | うさぎ | usagi | |
 | Hamster | ハムスター | hamusutaa | |
 | Mouse | ねずみ | nezumi | |
 | Elephant | ぞう | zou | |
 | Lion | ライオン | raion | |
 | Tiger | とら | tora | |
 | Leopard | ひょう | hyou | |
 | Bear | くま | kuma | |
 | Monkey | さる | saru | |
 | Gorilla | ゴリラ | gorira | |
 | Orangutan | オランウータン | oran'uutan | |
 | Deer | しか | shika | |
 | Zebra | しまうま | shimauma | |
 | Giraffe | きりん | kirin | |
 | Hippo | かば | kaba | |
 | Rhino | さい | sai | |
 | Fox | きつね | kitsune | |
 | Wolf | おおかみ | ookami | |
 | Jackal | ジャッカル | jakkaru | |
 | Squirrel | りす | risu | |
 | Mongoose | マングース | manguusu | |
 | Porcupine | やまあらし | yamaarashi | |
 | Hedgehog | はりねずみ | harinezumi | |
 | Kangaroo | カンガルー | kangaruu | |
 | Koala | コアラ | koara | |
 | Panda | パンダ | panda | |
 | Polar Bear | しろくま | shirokuma | |
 | Sloth | なまけもの | namakemono | |
 | Bat | こうもり | koumori | |
 | Wild Boar | いのしし | inoshishi | |
 | Indian Bison | ガウル | gauru | |
 | Rat | おおねずみ | oonezumi | |
 | Fish | さかな | sakana | |
 | Goldfish | きんぎょ | kingyo | |
 | Frog | かえる | kaeru | |
 | Whale | くじら | kujira | |
 | Dolphin | いるか | iruka | |
 | Shark | さめ | same | |
 | Octopus | たこ | tako | |
 | Crab | かに | kani | |
 | Prawn | えび | ebi | |
 | Squid | いか | ika | |
 | Seal | あざらし | azarashi | |
 | Jellyfish | くらげ | kurage | |
 | Pufferfish | ふぐ | fugu | |
 | Otter | かわうそ | kawauso | |
 | Starfish | ひとで | hitode | |
 | Seahorse | たつのおとしご | tatsunootoshigo |
Animals in Japanese are a favourite first topic because Japanese animal words are short, clear and fun to say: いぬ (inu, dog), ねこ (neko, cat), うし (ushi, cow). This page has 60 animals with pictures, romaji and clear audio, from farm animals and pets to wild and sea animals such as くじら (kujira, whale). Tap a picture to hear its name in Japanese and English, then play Find it or Memory.
Farm animals and pets in Japanese
Start with the animals from picture books: うし (cow), うま (uma, horse), ぶた (buta, pig), やぎ (yagi, goat), ひつじ (hitsuji, sheep), ろば (roba, donkey) and らくだ (rakuda, camel). Pets are いぬ (dog), ねこ (cat), うさぎ (usagi, rabbit), ハムスター (hamusutaa, hamster), ねずみ (nezumi, mouse) and きんぎょ (kingyo, goldfish). Goldfish scooping (きんぎょすくい) is a classic game at Japanese summer festivals, so きんぎょ is a word most Japanese children know early.
Wild and zoo animals in Japanese
Many zoo animals have native Japanese names written in hiragana: ぞう (zou, elephant), とら (tora, tiger), くま (kuma, bear), さる (saru, monkey), きりん (kirin, giraffe), しまうま (shimauma, zebra, "striped horse"), かば (kaba, hippo) and きつね (kitsune, fox). Others came from other languages and are written in katakana, the script for borrowed words: ライオン (raion, lion), パンダ (panda), ゴリラ (gorira, gorilla), カンガルー (kangaruu, kangaroo) and コアラ (koara, koala). Five-year-olds who are starting hiragana enjoy spotting which animals look "different" on the page.
A few names tell a story. The polar bear is しろくま (shirokuma, "white bear"), the sloth is なまけもの (namakemono, "lazy one") and the seahorse is たつのおとしご (tatsunootoshigo, "the dragon's dropped child"). Children love that last one.
Sea animals in Japanese
Japan is an island nation, and sea words are everyday words: さかな (sakana, fish), くじら (whale), いるか (iruka, dolphin), さめ (same, shark), たこ (tako, octopus), いか (ika, squid), かに (kani, crab), えび (ebi, prawn), くらげ (kurage, jellyfish), ふぐ (fugu, pufferfish), ひとで (hitode, starfish, "human hand") and あざらし (azarashi, seal). Several of these, like たこ and えび, are also food words your child may meet at a sushi counter.
Animal sounds in Japanese
| Animal | Japanese sound | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| Dog いぬ | わんわん | wan wan |
| Cat ねこ | にゃー | nyaa |
| Cow うし | もー | moo |
| Pig ぶた | ぶーぶー | buu buu |
| Sheep or goat | めー | mee |
| Horse うま | ひひーん | hihiin |
| Frog かえる | けろけろ | kero kero |
Japanese toddlers often call animals by their sounds, so a dog is a わんわん and a cat a にゃんにゃん. This Japanese onomatopoeia is a lovely bridge into the real names. Play the animal sounds game, then make the Japanese sound for each animal.
Animals in Japanese culture and stories
- Momotaro, the Peach Boy, sets off to fight ogres with a dog (いぬ), a monkey (さる) and a pheasant. It is one of the first stories Japanese children hear.
- Kitsune (きつね), the fox, appears in folk tales as a clever shape-shifter.
- Nara deer (しか) roam freely in the city of Nara and famously bow for crackers.
- Snow monkeys (さる) bathe in hot springs in the mountains of Nagano.
- The Japanese zodiac uses the same twelve animals as the Chinese one, except the pig is replaced by the wild boar (いのしし), so 2031 will be a year of the boar.
How to teach animals in Japanese at home
- Age 2-3: five animals and their sounds. "わんわん！ いぬ だね."
- Age 3-4: Find it with Golu, who asks "ねこは どこかな？" (Where is the cat?).
- Age 4-5: sort toy animals into farm, zoo and sea, saying each name.
- Age 5-6: find the first hiragana of each animal on the hiragana chart: い for いぬ, ね for ねこ.
Japanese counts animals with counters: small animals use ひき (いっぴき、にひき、さんびき), and big ones like elephants use とう. You do not need to teach the rule; say it while counting toy animals and your child will pick it up.
After five minutes of play, go and find a real animal: a cat on the wall, a pigeon in the park, fish at the market. Naming real animals is what makes the words stick.
For heritage and bilingual families
If a grandparent in Japan joins by video call, let them ask "〜は どこ？" while your child taps the picture. Children who already love Japanese picture books will recognise many animals here. The word list above prints from your browser as a Japanese animals chart or flash cards with romaji; there is no separate PDF. Compare with animals in Chinese to see how the two languages differ, or go back to the English animals name page.
どうぶつの なまえを おぼえよう
ちいさい こどもは、どうぶつの なきごえが だいすきです。「わんわん」「にゃー」「もー」と いっしょに まねをしながら、「いぬ」「ねこ」「うし」と なまえも いってみましょう。えほんや どうぶつえんで みつけた どうぶつを ゆびさして、なまえを くりかえすのも いい れんしゅうです。
5さいくらいに なったら、どうぶつの なまえの さいしょの ひらがなを さがしてみましょう。「い」は いぬ、「ね」は ねこ。ライオンや パンダは カタカナで かくことも おしえてあげてね。たくさん あそんで、たくさん ほめてあげてください。
How to use this page at home
Say it, then find it
Play for a few minutes, then look for the same thing away from the screen: japanese words on the shelf, in the kitchen, on the way to school. A child learns a word properly when they meet it twice, once on the screen and once in their hand.
Ten minutes is enough
Short and happy beats long and tired. Stop while your child still wants more, and come back tomorrow: the same page on five short days teaches far more than one long sitting. Nothing here is scored, so there is no reason to push.
Use both languages
Tap the language button at the top to hear the words in your home language first and the second language after. Hearing the same picture named in two languages is one of the few things research agrees builds attention as well as vocabulary.
