How do you say "mole" in Japanese?

モグラ

mogura

Noun Katakana

In Japanese, "mole" is モグラ (mogura).

Listen to the pronunciation:

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

Pronunciation

モグラ is written using katakana. Romanised as mogura, it sounds roughly like "moh-goo-rah" to an English ear.

Writing and usage

Mogura in katakana is a small burrowing animal less prominent in everyday farm life. The katakana marks it as a scientific or less common term.

Example sentence

動物園でモグラを見ました。

Doubutsuen de Mogura wo mimashita.

I saw a mole at the zoo.

Test your Japanese knowledge in our free browser games.

How to remember モグラ

Mogura - 'mog' sounds like digging. Moles dig and burrow underground. The word has a dull, earthy sound.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

See more farm words.

Questions about モグラ

How do you pronounce モグラ?

モグラ is romanised as mogura. Say it roughly like "moh-goo-rah" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is モグラ formal or casual?

モグラ 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 モグラ written in Japanese?

モグラ is written using katakana. Mogura in katakana is a small burrowing animal less prominent in everyday farm life.

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.

"Mole" 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.

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