How do you say "gravel" in Japanese?

In Japanese, "gravel" is 砂利 (jari). It is a noun pronounced "jah-ree".

Listen to the pronunciation:

Pronunciation

砂利 is written in kanji. Romanised as jari, it sounds roughly like "jah-ree" to an English ear.

Example sentence

部屋に砂利があります。

Heya ni Jari ga arimasu.

There is a gravel in the room.

Usage notes

Jari (砂利) means gravel in Japanese. This noun describes a feature or object found in indoor or outdoor environments.

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Questions about 砂利

How do you pronounce 砂利?

砂利 is romanised as jari. Say it roughly like "jah-ree" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is 砂利 formal or casual?

砂利 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 砂利 written in Japanese?

砂利 is written using kanji. Kanji characters carry the core meaning; any hiragana or katakana that follow show grammatical endings.

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.