How do you say "bull" in Japanese?

雄牛

oushi

Noun Kanji

In Japanese, "bull" is 雄牛 (oushi).

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Pronunciation

雄牛 is written using kanji. Romanised as oushi, it sounds roughly like "oh-shee" to an English ear.

Writing and usage

Oushi combines the male kanji (雄) with the cow kanji (牛). This structure mirrors mendori and ondori, using the gender prefix system.

Example sentence

子供たちは雄牛を見て喜んでいます。

Kodomotachi wa Oushi wo mite yorokondeimasu.

The children are delighted to see the bull.

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How to remember 雄牛

Male (雄) marks it as powerful. Cow (牛) has those horns at top. A bull is a strong horned male cow.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

See more farm words.

Questions about 雄牛

How do you pronounce 雄牛?

雄牛 is romanised as oushi. Say it roughly like "oh-shee" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is 雄牛 formal or casual?

雄牛 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 雄牛 written in Japanese?

雄牛 is written using kanji. Oushi combines the male kanji (雄) with the cow kanji (牛).

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Bull" in other languages

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