Home › Japanese › Glossary › raccoon
Japanese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "raccoon" in Japanese?
アライグマ
araiguma
In Japanese, "raccoon" is アライグマ (araiguma).
Listen to the pronunciation:
Free Japanese learning game. No sign-up, play in browser. See all games
Pronunciation
アライグマ is written using katakana. Romanised as araiguma, it sounds roughly like "ah-rah-ee-goo-mah" to an English ear.
Writing and usage
Araiguma uses katakana to represent this animal. The word breaks as arai (wash) plus guma (bear-like creature), reflecting a folk description of the animal's behavior.
Example sentence
アライグマが草原を走っています。
Araiguma ga sogen wo hashitte imasu.
A raccoon is running across the field.
Test your Japanese knowledge in our free browser games.
How to remember アライグマ
Katakana for a non-native animal; the name hints at raccoons washing their food.
Related words
Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.
Questions about アライグマ
How do you pronounce アライグマ?
アライグマ is romanised as araiguma. Say it roughly like "ah-rah-ee-goo-mah" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.
Is アライグマ formal or casual?
アライグマ 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 アライグマ written in Japanese?
アライグマ is written using katakana. Araiguma uses katakana to represent this animal.
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.
"Raccoon" 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.
Noun Town on PC, Mac & VR
These browser games are just a taste. The full Noun Town is a bigger, deeper 3D world: explore a living town, talk to its characters and learn thousands of words in immersive VR, Mixed Reality, or on your computer. It's an award-winning game with 590+ reviews on Steam and 12 languages to learn.
See the full game ▶Spot an error? Email us at contact@noun.town