How do you say "narwhal" in Japanese?

In Japanese, "narwhal" is イッカク (ikkaku). It is a noun pronounced "ee-kkah-koo".

Listen to the pronunciation:

Illustration of narwhal from Noun Town

Pronunciation

イッカク is written in katakana. Romanised as ikkaku, it sounds roughly like "ee-kkah-koo" to an English ear.

Example sentence

イッカクが草原を走っています。

Ikkaku ga sogen wo hashitte imasu.

A narwhal is running across the field.

Usage notes

Ikkaku (イッカク) is the Japanese word for narwhal. Animal vocabulary is engaging for learners and appears frequently in games, zoos, farms, and nature programs.

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Questions about イッカク

How do you pronounce イッカク?

イッカク is romanised as ikkaku. Say it roughly like "ee-kkah-koo" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is イッカク formal or casual?

イッカク 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 イッカク written in Japanese?

イッカク 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.