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Japanese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "eel" in Japanese?
ウナギ
unagi
In Japanese, "eel" is ウナギ (unagi).
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Pronunciation
Unagi is oo-nah-gee, three even syllables, the same word you might recognise from sushi menus.
Writing and usage
ウナギ is written using katakana. It's a noun, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.
Example sentence
ウナギが岩の間を滑り抜けた。
unagi ga iwa no kan wo suberi nuke ta.
An eel slipped between the rocks.
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How to remember ウナギ
You've likely seen this on a sushi menu already, oo-nah-gee, the slippery grilled eel dish.
Related words
- firefly ホタル hotaru
- ladybug てんとう虫 tentou mushi
- grasshopper バッタ batta
- caterpillar イモムシ imomushi
- termite シロアリ shiroari
- wasp スズメバチ suzumebachi
- moth 蛾 ga
- newt イモリ imori
- salamander サンショウウオ sanshouuo
Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.
Questions about ウナギ
How do you pronounce ウナギ?
Unagi is oo-nah-gee, three even syllables, the same word you might recognise from sushi menus.
Is ウナギ formal or casual?
ウナギ 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 ウナギ written in Japanese?
ウナギ is written using katakana. Romanised, it reads as unagi.
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.
"Eel" in other languages
Curated by Callan 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. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.
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