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5 Japanese Animals Words Every Beginner Should Know

Learn 5 useful Japanese animals words with visual examples. Study each word, read a simple explanation and example sentence, then test yourself with the quick quiz.

JA 5 words Images + audio + examples + quiz

Learn the 5 words

cat in Japanese — 猫
01

猫

cat
Meaning

ペットとして飼われることが多い小さな動物です。

A small animal that is often kept as a pet.

Example

私は猫を飼っています。

I have a cat.

dog in Japanese — 犬
02

犬

dog
Meaning

ペットとして飼われることが多い友好的な動物です。

A friendly animal that is often kept as a pet.

Example

私の犬はとても遊び好きです。

My dog is very playful.

bird in Japanese — 鳥
03

鳥

bird
Meaning

飛ぶことができ、羽毛を持つ小さな動物です。

A small animal that can fly and has feathers.

Example

私は木の中に鳥を見ます。

I see a bird in the tree.

horse in Japanese — 馬
04

馬

horse
Meaning

人々が乗ったり、仕事に使ったりする大きな動物です。

A large animal that people ride or use for work.

Example

馬は速く走っています。

The horse is running fast.

cow in Japanese — 牛
05

牛

cow
Meaning

牛乳を出す大きな農場の動物です。

A large farm animal that gives milk.

Example

牛は草を食べています。

The cow is eating grass.

Quick quiz

Try to answer before opening each response.

What is the Japanese word for “cat”?

✓ 猫

What is the Japanese word for “dog”?

✓ 犬

What is the Japanese word for “bird”?

✓ 鳥

What is the Japanese word for “horse”?

✓ 馬

What is the Japanese word for “cow”?

✓ 牛

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Practice with ManyLingo

Review the 5 words once more and try to recall each answer before looking. Keep practicing with short visual lessons, repetition, and speaking on ManyLingo.