How do you say "penguin" in Japanese?

ペンギン

pengin

Noun Katakana

In Japanese, "penguin" is ペンギン (pengin).

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Pronunciation

ペンギン is written using katakana. Romanised as pengin, it sounds roughly like "peh-n-gee-n" to an English ear.

Writing and usage

Pengin is a katakana loanword from English 'penguin'. Japanese uses this borrowed term to name the Antarctic bird rather than creating a native compound.

Example sentence

動物園でペンギンを見ました。

Doubutsuen de Pengin wo mimashita.

I saw a penguin at the zoo.

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How to remember ペンギン

Katakana sounds like 'penguin' - a straightforward English animal name loanword.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

See more zoo words.

Questions about ペンギン

How do you pronounce ペンギン?

ペンギン is romanised as pengin. Say it roughly like "peh-n-gee-n" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is ペンギン formal or casual?

ペンギン 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 ペンギン written in Japanese?

ペンギン is written using katakana. Pengin is a katakana loanword from English 'penguin'.

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

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"Penguin" in other languages

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