How do you say "blackboard" in Japanese?

In Japanese, "blackboard" is 黒板 (kokuban). It is a noun pronounced "koh-koo-bah-n".

Listen to the pronunciation:

Pronunciation

黒板 is written in kanji. Romanised as kokuban, it sounds roughly like "koh-koo-bah-n" to an English ear.

Example sentence

子供たちは黒板の周りで遊んでいます。

Kodomotachi wa Kokuban no mawari de asonde imasu.

The children are playing around the blackboard.

Usage notes

Kokuban (黒板) means blackboard in Japanese. This noun describes a feature or object found in indoor or outdoor environments.

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Questions about 黒板

How do you pronounce 黒板?

黒板 is romanised as kokuban. Say it roughly like "koh-koo-bah-n" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is 黒板 formal or casual?

黒板 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 黒板 written in Japanese?

黒板 is written using kanji. 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.