How do you say "owl" in Japanese?

フクロウ

fukurou

Noun Katakana

In Japanese, "owl" is フクロウ (fukurou).

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Pronunciation

Foo-koo-ROH, three syllables with the long 'ro' held out like a real owl's low hoot.

Writing and usage

フクロウ 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

夜にフクロウが静かに鳴いた。

yoru ni fukurou ga shizuka ni nai ta.

An owl hooted softly in the night.

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How to remember フクロウ

An owl hoots a slow, low fukurou, the drawn-out 'ro' echoing the sound of an actual hoot.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

Questions about フクロウ

How do you pronounce フクロウ?

Foo-koo-ROH, three syllables with the long 'ro' held out like a real owl's low hoot.

Is フクロウ formal or casual?

フクロウ 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 フクロウ written in Japanese?

フクロウ is written using katakana. Romanised, it reads as fukurou.

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.

"Owl" 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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