How do you say "penguin" in Japanese?

In Japanese, "penguin" is ペンギン (pengin). It is a noun pronounced "peh-n-gee-n".

Listen to the pronunciation:

Illustration of penguin from Noun Town

Pronunciation

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

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.

Usage notes

Pengin (ペンギン) is the Japanese word for penguin. Animal vocabulary is engaging for learners and appears frequently in games, zoos, farms, and nature programs.

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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. 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.