How do you say "donut" in Japanese?

ドーナツ

dōnatsu

Noun Katakana

In Japanese, "donut" is ドーナツ (dōnatsu).

Listen to the pronunciation:

Free Japanese learning game. No sign-up, play in browser. See all games

Pronunciation

ドーナツ is written using katakana. Romanised as dōnatsu, it sounds roughly like "doh-nah-tsoo" to an English ear.

Writing and usage

Dōnatsu is katakana from English donut, standard in bakeries and fast food. The long 'o' reflects Japanese pronunciation adaptation of the English word.

Example sentence

ドーナツが好きです。毎日食べます。

Dōnatsu ga suki desu. Mainichi tabemasu.

I love donut. I eat it every day.

Test your Japanese knowledge in our free browser games.

How to remember ドーナツ

Dōnatsu sounds like donut. Picture a round pastry with a hole in the center, glazed and sweet.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

See more bakery words.

Questions about ドーナツ

How do you pronounce ドーナツ?

ドーナツ is romanised as dōnatsu. Say it roughly like "doh-nah-tsoo" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is ドーナツ formal or casual?

ドーナツ 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 ドーナツ written in Japanese?

ドーナツ is written using katakana. Dōnatsu is katakana from English donut, standard in bakeries and fast food.

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.

"Donut" in other languages

Curated by Jack Ratcliffe

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.

Noun Town language-learning game on PC, Mac and VR

The full experience

Noun Town on PC, Mac & VR

These browser games are just a taste. The full Noun Town is a bigger, deeper 3D world: explore a living town, talk to its characters and learn thousands of words in immersive VR, Mixed Reality, or on your computer. It's an award-winning game with 590+ reviews on Steam and 12 languages to learn.

See the full game ▶

Spot an error? Email us at contact@noun.town