アナグマ
anaguma
The Japanese word for badger is アナグマ (anaguma).
アナグマ refers to the badger, a type of mammal.
Meaning: a kind of mammal (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The second part of the word 'anaguma' is クマ, which means bear.
How do you pronounce it?
anaguma
Did you know?
- The word アナグマ literally translates to 'hole bear'. This reflects an early belief that the animal was a type of bear that lived in burrows.
- In Japanese folklore, the badger is often confused with the 'tanuki', a raccoon dog, despite being a completely different species.
- In Japanese, the word for bear クマ appears in many animal names to describe things that look like bears, creating a linguistic category based on appearance rather than genetics.
Examples in context
- 彼らは公園でアナグマを見ました。They saw a badger in the park.
- アナグマは穴の中に住んでいます。Anaguma wa ana no naka ni sunde imasu.Badgers live inside holes.
- 図鑑でアナグマの絵を見ました。Zukan de anaguma no e o mimashita.I saw a picture of a badger in an encyclopedia.
Example conversation
Kenta and Himari are looking at a nature book together.
- 健太 Kentaこの動物は何かな？Kono dōbutsu wa nani kana?What is this animal?
- 陽葵 Himariそれはアナグマだよ。Sore wa anaguma dayo.That is a badger.
- 健太 Kentaアナグマって、見た目が可愛いね。Anaguma tte, mitame ga kawaii ne.Badgers have a cute appearance, don't they?
- 陽葵 Himariそうだね、健太くん。Sō dane, Kenta-kun.That's true, Kenta.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry アナグマ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
