How do you say "monkey" in Japanese?

サル

saru

Noun Katakana

In Japanese, "monkey" is サル (saru).

Listen to the pronunciation:

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

Pronunciation

SAH-roo, two short syllables, the 'ru' closer to a soft 'roo' than a hard English r.

Writing and usage

サル is written using katakana. It's a noun, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.

Example sentence

猿が枝から枝へと揺れていた。

saru ga eda kara eda heto yure teita.

A monkey swung from branch to branch.

Test your Japanese knowledge in our free browser games.

How to remember サル

A monkey swinging through trees might shout saru as it soars from branch to branch.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

Questions about サル

How do you pronounce サル?

SAH-roo, two short syllables, the 'ru' closer to a soft 'roo' than a hard English r.

Is サル formal or casual?

サル 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 サル written in Japanese?

サル is written using katakana. Romanised, it reads as saru.

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.

"Monkey" 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. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

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