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Japanese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "river dolphin" in Japanese?
カワイルカ
kawa iruka
In Japanese, "river dolphin" is カワイルカ (kawa iruka).
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Pronunciation
カワイルカ is written using katakana. Romanised as kawa iruka, it sounds roughly like "kah-wah-ee-roo-kah" to an English ear.
Writing and usage
Kawa iruka in katakana uses kawa (river) plus iruka (dolphin). The compound structure shows how this is built from recognizable parts.
Example sentence
カワイルカが草原を走っています。
Kawa iruka ga sogen wo hashitte imasu.
A river dolphin is running across the field.
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How to remember カワイルカ
River (kawa) + dolphin (iruka) = river dolphin. Dolphins are smart, playful. Iruka sounds like their clicking calls.
Related words
- horse 馬 uma
- frog カエル kaeru
- vegetables 野菜 yasai
- lead 鉛 namari
- duck カモ kamo
- sardine イワシ iwashi
- wood 木 ki
- goat ヤギ yagi
- flower 花 hana
Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.
Questions about カワイルカ
How do you pronounce カワイルカ?
カワイルカ is romanised as kawa iruka. Say it roughly like "kah-wah-ee-roo-kah" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.
Is カワイルカ formal or casual?
カワイルカ 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 カワイルカ written in Japanese?
カワイルカ is written using katakana. Kawa iruka in katakana uses kawa (river) plus iruka (dolphin).
Where can I practice Japanese words for free?
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"River dolphin" in other languages
- Korean 강 돌고래 (gang dolgorae)
- Chinese 河豚 (hé tún)
- Spanish el delfín de río
- Spanish (Latin America) el delfín de río
- French le dauphin d'eau douce
- German der Flussdelfin
- Italian il delfino di fiume
- Russian речной дельфин (rečnoj delʹfin)
- Greek το δελφίνι ποταμού (to dhelfini potamu)
- Arabic دولفين النهر (dolfeen ilnahr)
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