How do you say "tortoise" in Japanese?

カメ

kame

Noun Katakana

In Japanese, "tortoise" is カメ (kame).

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Pronunciation

Kame is kah-meh, two unhurried syllables that suit the animal's slow pace.

Writing and usage

カメ 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

老亀はとてもゆっくりと動いた。

rou kame hatotemoyukkurito ugoi ta.

The old tortoise moved very slowly.

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How to remember カメ

Say kah-meh slowly, dragging it out a touch, just like the tortoise itself never rushes.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

Questions about カメ

How do you pronounce カメ?

Kame is kah-meh, two unhurried syllables that suit the animal's slow pace.

Is カメ formal or casual?

カメ 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 カメ written in Japanese?

カメ is written using katakana. Romanised, it reads as kame.

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.

"Tortoise" 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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