こぐま
koguma
The Japanese phrase for "bear cub" is こぐま (koguma).
こぐま is a noun used to refer to a young bear.
Meaning: young bear (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is a compound of こ, meaning 'child/small' and くま, meaning 'bear'.
How does it change in a sentence?
こぐま is a noun that does not change its form for plurality. It is used to express both one bear cub or multiple bear cubs.
How do you pronounce it?
koguma
Did you know?
- Japanese folklore often features bears as shapeshifters, and a こぐま in a story might actually be a human or a spirit in disguise.
- While こぐま refers to the animal, the constellation Ursa Minor is called こぐま座 (Koguma-za), literally meaning 'Little Bear constellation'.
- While こぐま is the standard term for a bear cub, a Japanese speaker might use こぐまちゃん to make it sound much more endearing or cute, especially when talking to children.
Examples in context
- こぐまが森の中にいます。koguma ga mori no naka ni imasu.There is a bear cub in the forest.
- このこぐまはとても可愛いです。kono koguma wa totemo kawaii desu.This bear cub is very cute.
- こぐまが絵本に描いてあります。koguma ga ehon ni kaite arimasu.A bear cub is drawn in the picture book.
Example conversation
Yui and Daisho are looking at a picture book about animals.
- 結衣 Yui見て、このこぐまがとてもかわいい！Mite, kono koguma ga totemo kawaii!Look, this bear cub is so cute!
- 大翔 Hiroto本当だね。小さいね。Hontou da ne. Chiisai ne.You're right. It's small.
- 結衣 Yuiこぐまはどこで寝るのかな？Koguma wa doko de neru no kana?I wonder where bear cubs sleep?
- 大翔 Hirotoきっと洞窟の中で寝ると思うよ。Kitto doukutsu no naka de neru to omou yo.I think they probably sleep inside a cave.
