How do you say "watermelon" in Japanese?

In Japanese, "watermelon" is スイカ (suika). It is a noun pronounced "soo-ee-kah".

Listen to the pronunciation:

Illustration of watermelon from Noun Town

Pronunciation

スイカ is written in katakana. Romanised as suika, it sounds roughly like "soo-ee-kah" to an English ear.

Example sentence

スイカを一つください。

Suika wo hitotsu kudasai.

One watermelon, please.

Usage notes

Suika (スイカ) is the Japanese word for watermelon. Food vocabulary is among the most practical for daily life in Japan and is used constantly in markets, restaurants, and home cooking.

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Questions about スイカ

How do you pronounce スイカ?

スイカ is romanised as suika. Say it roughly like "soo-ee-kah" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is スイカ formal or casual?

スイカ 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 スイカ written in Japanese?

スイカ is written using katakana. Katakana is typically used for words of foreign origin or to give emphasis.

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.