How do you say "hippo" in Japanese?

In Japanese, "hippo" is カバ (kaba). It is a noun pronounced "kah-bah".

Listen to the pronunciation:

Illustration of hippo from Noun Town

Pronunciation

カバ is written in katakana. Romanised as kaba, it sounds roughly like "kah-bah" to an English ear.

Example sentence

動物園でカバを見ました。

Doubutsuen de Kaba wo mimashita.

I saw a hippo at the zoo.

Usage notes

Kaba (カバ) is the Japanese word for hippo. Animal vocabulary is engaging for learners and appears frequently in games, zoos, farms, and nature programs.

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Questions about カバ

How do you pronounce カバ?

カバ is romanised as kaba. Say it roughly like "kah-bah" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is カバ formal or casual?

カバ 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 カバ written in Japanese?

カバ is written using katakana. Katakana is typically used for words of foreign origin or to give emphasis.

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.