Animals Vocabulary

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to recognize and use 20 common animal vocabulary words in Japanese at the N5 level. You'll be able to say what animals you like, see, or have.

In Japanese, animal names are usually written in katakana (for non-native animals) or hiragana/kanji (for native animals). The word for "animal" itself is どうぶつ (doubutsu). When talking about animals, you can use the particle が (ga) to mark the animal as the subject, or を (wo) to mark it as the object of a verb like "see" (みる / miru) or "like" (すき / suki).

Here are the 20 animal vocabulary words. Practice saying each one aloud.

Note: For animals like "rabbit," "bear," and "elephant," the hiragana-only form is very common in beginner materials.

Here's how to use these words in simple sentences.

1. これは犬です。犬

   • Kore wa inu desu.
   • This is a dog.
   犬

2. 猫が好きです。猫好

   • Neko ga suki desu.
   • I like cats.
   猫好

3. 公園で鳥を見ました。公園鳥見

   • Kouen de tori wo mimashita.
   • I saw a bird in the park.
   公園鳥見

4. 魚を食べます。魚食

   • Sakana wo tabemasu.
   • I eat fish.
   魚食

Mistake: Confusing 蜘蛛 (くも / kumo - spider) with 雲 (くも / kumo - cloud). They are pronounced the same but have different kanji and meanings.蜘蛛雲

How to avoid it: Pay attention to the context. If you're talking about nature or things you're scared of, it's probably "spider." If you're talking about the weather, it's "cloud." Also, remember the kanji: 虫 (insect) radical is in 蜘蛛 (spider), while 雨 (rain) radical is in 雲 (cloud).虫蜘蛛雨雲

Fill in the blanks with the correct Japanese word (in hiragana).

1. ___ (cat) が好きです。好

   • ___ (neko) ga suki desu.
   • I like cats.
   好

2. これは ___ (rabbit) です。

   • Kore wa ___ (usagi) desu.
   • This is a rabbit.

3. ___ (elephant) は大きいです。大

   • ___ (zou) wa ookii desu.
   • Elephants are big.
   大

Answers:

1. ねこ
2. うさぎ
3. ぞう

Great job! You've learned 20 common animal words in Japanese. You can now talk about animals you see, like, or have.

Next Step: Practice using these words with other basic verbs and adjectives you know. For example, try describing an animal's color (e.g., 白い犬 / shiroi inu - white dog) or saying where it is (e.g., 机の下に猫がいます / tsukue no shita ni neko ga imasu - There is a cat under the desk).白犬机下猫