Languages › Japanese Learn Japanese Animal Vocabulary Share Flipboard Email Print Kohei Hara / Getty Images Japanese Essential Japanese Vocabulary History & Culture Japanese Grammar By Namiko Abe Namiko Abe Japanese Language Expert B.A., Kwansei Gakuin University Namiko Abe is a Japanese language teacher and translator, as well as a Japanese calligraphy expert. She has been a freelance writer for nearly 20 years. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on January 27, 2019 There are kanji characters for hippopotamus (河馬), giraffe (麒麟), mouse (鼠), camel (駱駝), squirrel (栗鼠), zebra (縞馬), rabbit (兎) and goat (山羊), but they are often written in hiragana or katakana. The counter for small animals is "hiki (匹)" and for large animals is "tou (頭)." Inu ga go-hiki imasu. 犬が五匹います. There are five dogs.Watashi wa kuma o ni-tou mimashita. 私は熊を二頭見ました. I saw two bears. Click the link to hear the pronunciation. doubutsu 動物 animals buta 豚 pig hitsuji 羊 sheep inu 犬 dog kaba かば hippopotamus kitsune 狐 fox kirin キリン giraffe kuma 熊 bear neko 猫 cat nezumi ねずみ mouse ookami 狼 wolf raion ライオン lion rakuda らくだ camel risu りす squirrel saru 猿 monkey shika 鹿 deer shimauma しまうま zebra tora 虎 tiger tori 鳥 bird usagi うさぎ rabbit ushi 牛 cow/ox uma 馬 horse yagi やぎ goat zou 象 elephant Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Abe, Namiko. "Learn Japanese Animal Vocabulary." ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/animals-2028148. Abe, Namiko. (2023, April 5). Learn Japanese Animal Vocabulary. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/animals-2028148 Abe, Namiko. "Learn Japanese Animal Vocabulary." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/animals-2028148 (accessed June 2, 2023). copy citation By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies