どんぐり
donguri
The English word "acorn" is translated into Japanese as どんぐり (donguri).
どんぐり refers to the fruit of the oak tree. You can use the phrase 小さいどんぐり to specifically describe a "small acorn".
Meaning: fruit of the oak tree (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
donguri
Did you know?
- There is a Japanese idiom どんぐりの背比べ which translates to 'comparing the heights of acorns' to describe people who are all equally mediocre.
- Certain traditional Japanese foods use processed どんぐり flour, though it requires extensive soaking to remove bitter tannins.
- In Japanese culture, the どんぐり is a symbol of autumn and is frequently collected by children as a hobby in a practice called 'donguri-gari'.
Examples in context
- どんぐりを見つけましたI found an acorn
- どんぐりはおいしいですAcorns are delicious
- このどんぐりはとても大きいです。kono donguri wa totemo ookii desu.This acorn is very big.
- 森でたくさんどんぐりを見つけた。mori de takusan donguri o mitsuketa.I found many acorns in the forest.
Example conversation
Yota and Yui are walking in a park in autumn.
- 陽太 Yota結衣、見て！ここにどんぐりがあるよ。Yui, mite! Koko ni donguri ga aru yo.Yui, look! There is an acorn here.
- 結衣 Yui本当だ。きれいな色だね。Hontou da. Kirei na iro da ne.You're right. It's a beautiful color.
- 陽太 Yotaこのどんぐりを家に持って帰ろう。Kono donguri o ie ni motte kaerou.Let's take this acorn home.
- 結衣 Yuiいい考えだね。集めよう。Ii kangae da ne. Atsumeyou.That's a good idea. Let's collect them.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry どんぐり, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
