How do you say "crow" in Japanese?

In Japanese, "crow" is カラス (karasu). It is a noun pronounced "kah-rah-soo".

Listen to the pronunciation:

Illustration of crow from Noun Town

Pronunciation

カラス is written in katakana. Romanised as karasu, it sounds roughly like "kah-rah-soo" to an English ear.

Example sentence

動物園でカラスを見ました。

Doubutsuen de Karasu wo mimashita.

I saw a crow at the zoo.

Usage notes

Karasu (カラス) is the Japanese word for crow. Animal vocabulary is engaging for learners and appears frequently in games, zoos, farms, and nature programs.

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Questions about カラス

How do you pronounce カラス?

カラス is romanised as karasu. Say it roughly like "kah-rah-soo" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is カラス formal or casual?

カラス 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 カラス written in Japanese?

カラス is written using katakana. Katakana is typically used for words of foreign origin or to give emphasis.

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.