How do you say "zoo" in Japanese?

動物園

dōbutsuen

Noun Kanji

In Japanese, "zoo" is 動物園 (dōbutsuen).

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Pronunciation

動物園 is written using kanji. Romanised as dōbutsuen, it sounds roughly like "doh-boo-tsoo-eh-n" to an English ear.

Writing and usage

Dōbutsuen combines animal (動物) and garden (園). The construction is clear: a garden for viewing animals. All animal-watching facilities use this term.

Example sentence

子供たちは動物園の周りで遊んでいます。

Kodomotachi wa Dōbutsuen no mawari de asonde imasu.

The children are playing around the zoo.

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How to remember 動物園

Dōbutsu (動物) uses move/animal. En (園) is garden. A place where animals move freely like a garden.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

See more Japanese nouns.

Questions about 動物園

How do you pronounce 動物園?

動物園 is romanised as dōbutsuen. Say it roughly like "doh-boo-tsoo-eh-n" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is 動物園 formal or casual?

動物園 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 動物園 written in Japanese?

動物園 is written using kanji. Dōbutsuen combines animal (動物) and garden (園).

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

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"Zoo" in other languages

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