How do you say "spider" in Japanese?

クモ

kumo

Noun Katakana

In Japanese, "spider" is クモ (kumo).

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Pronunciation

KOO-moh, two even beats, with the 'ku' clipped and the 'mo' held a touch longer.

Writing and usage

クモ 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

隅でクモが巣を張った。

sumi de kumo ga su wo hatsu ta.

A spider spun a web in the corner.

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How to remember クモ

Picture a spider spinning in the gloom of a cellar, gloom rhyming with the 'moo' in kumo.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

Questions about クモ

How do you pronounce クモ?

KOO-moh, two even beats, with the 'ku' clipped and the 'mo' held a touch longer.

Is クモ formal or casual?

クモ 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 クモ written in Japanese?

クモ is written using katakana. Romanised, it reads as kumo.

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.

"Spider" in other languages

Curated by Callan 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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