How do you say "elephant" in Japanese?

ゾウ

zō

Noun Katakana

In Japanese, "elephant" is ゾウ (zō).

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Pronunciation

ゾウ is written using katakana. Romanised as zō, it sounds roughly like "zoh" to an English ear.

Writing and usage

Zō is katakana for elephant. The term was borrowed into Japanese for this large African and Asian animal not native to the islands.

Example sentence

ゾウが草原を走っています。

Zō ga sogen wo hashitte imasu.

A elephant is running across the field.

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How to remember ゾウ

Katakana marks 'elephant' as a foreign animal name.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

See more zoo words.

Questions about ゾウ

How do you pronounce ゾウ?

ゾウ is romanised as zō. Say it roughly like "zoh" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is ゾウ formal or casual?

ゾウ 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 ゾウ written in Japanese?

ゾウ is written using katakana. Zō is katakana for elephant.

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

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"Elephant" in other languages

Curated by Jack Ratcliffe

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