How do you say "napkin" in Japanese?

In Japanese, "napkin" is ナプキン (napukin). It is a noun pronounced "nah-poo-kee-n".

Listen to the pronunciation:

Illustration of napkin from Noun Town

Pronunciation

ナプキン is written in katakana. Romanised as napukin, it sounds roughly like "nah-poo-kee-n" to an English ear.

Example sentence

ナプキンはどこにありますか?

Napukin wa doko ni arimasu ka?

Where is the napkin?

Usage notes

Napukin (ナプキン) is the Japanese word for napkin. This noun appears in everyday contexts across homes, offices, schools, and public spaces.

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Questions about ナプキン

How do you pronounce ナプキン?

ナプキン is romanised as napukin. Say it roughly like "nah-poo-kee-n" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is ナプキン formal or casual?

ナプキン 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 ナプキン written in Japanese?

ナプキン 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.