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Japanese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "snake" in Japanese?
ヘビ
hebi
In Japanese, "snake" is ヘビ (hebi).
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Pronunciation
HEH-bee, two flat syllables, the 'he' like the English word 'heh' and the 'bi' short and light.
Writing and usage
ヘビ 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
長い蛇が草むらを滑り抜けた。
nagai hebi ga kusa murawo suberi nuke ta.
A long snake slid through the grass.
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How to remember ヘビ
A snake says heh-bee as it slithers, sounding almost like a mocking little laugh.
Related words
- ant アリ ari
- bee 蜂 hachi
- butterfly 蝶 chou
- spider クモ kumo
- snail カタツムリ katatsumuri
- worm ミミズ mimizu
- cockroach ゴキブリ gokiburi
- scorpion サソリ sasori
- lizard トカゲ tokage
Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.
Questions about ヘビ
How do you pronounce ヘビ?
HEH-bee, two flat syllables, the 'he' like the English word 'heh' and the 'bi' short and light.
Is ヘビ formal or casual?
ヘビ 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 ヘビ written in Japanese?
ヘビ is written using katakana. Romanised, it reads as hebi.
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.
"Snake" 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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