How do you say "beluga" in Japanese?

In Japanese, "beluga" is 白イルカ (shiroiruka). It is a noun pronounced "shee-roh-ee-roo-kah".

Listen to the pronunciation:

Illustration of beluga from Noun Town

Pronunciation

白イルカ is written in kanji and katakana. Romanised as shiroiruka, it sounds roughly like "shee-roh-ee-roo-kah" to an English ear.

Example sentence

子供たちは白イルカを見て喜んでいます。

Kodomotachi wa Shiroiruka wo mite yorokondeimasu.

The children are delighted to see the beluga.

Usage notes

Shiroiruka (白イルカ) is the Japanese word for beluga. Animal vocabulary is engaging for learners and appears frequently in games, zoos, farms, and nature programs.

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Questions about 白イルカ

How do you pronounce 白イルカ?

白イルカ is romanised as shiroiruka. Say it roughly like "shee-roh-ee-roo-kah" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is 白イルカ formal or casual?

白イルカ is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.

How is 白イルカ written in Japanese?

白イルカ is written using kanji and katakana. Kanji characters carry the core meaning; any hiragana or katakana that follow show grammatical endings.

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Japanese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation.