How do you say "giraffe" in Japanese?

キリン

kirin

Noun Katakana

In Japanese, "giraffe" is キリン (kirin).

Listen to the pronunciation:

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

Pronunciation

キリン is written using katakana. Romanised as kirin, it sounds roughly like "kee-ree-n" to an English ear.

Writing and usage

Kirin is katakana for giraffe. In older Japanese, kirin also referred to a mythical hooved creature, creating a natural semantic bridge.

Example sentence

キリンが草原を走っています。

Kirin ga sogen wo hashitte imasu.

A giraffe is running across the field.

Test your Japanese knowledge in our free browser games.

How to remember キリン

Katakana 'kirin' connects to older Japanese lore of magical creatures.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

See more zoo words.

Questions about キリン

How do you pronounce キリン?

キリン is romanised as kirin. Say it roughly like "kee-ree-n" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is キリン formal or casual?

キリン 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 キリン written in Japanese?

キリン is written using katakana. Kirin is katakana for giraffe.

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.

"Giraffe" 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