How do you say "mouse" in Japanese?

ネズミ

nezumi

Noun Katakana

In Japanese, "mouse" is ネズミ (nezumi).

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Pronunciation

NEH-zoo-mi, three even syllables, the middle 'zu' soft and quick.

Writing and usage

ネズミ 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

灰色のネズミがチーズの一切れをかじった。

haiiro no nezumi ga chiizu no issai rewokajitta.

A grey mouse nibbled a piece of cheese.

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How to remember ネズミ

Nezumi scurries by like a mouse darting under furniture, the quick middle syllable mimicking its speed.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

Questions about ネズミ

How do you pronounce ネズミ?

NEH-zoo-mi, three even syllables, the middle 'zu' soft and quick.

Is ネズミ formal or casual?

ネズミ 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 ネズミ written in Japanese?

ネズミ is written using katakana. Romanised, it reads as nezumi.

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.

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

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