熊
kuma[kɯ̟ma̠]
The English word 'bear' is translated into Japanese as 熊 (kuma). Wiktionary also lists クマ (kuma).
Meaning: large mammal of family Ursidae (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 熊 | kuma | [kɯ̟ma̠] (narrow) |
| クマ | kuma |
The word refers to the large mammal of the family Ursidae. While the kanji form is a standard way to write it, writing the word in katakana as クマ is a very frequent and common way to denote the animal in modern Japanese, especially in scientific contexts, news reports and on general signage to highlight the animal as a specific subject.
Which one should you use?
熊 uses kanji, while クマ uses katakana. The katakana version クマ is often used in biology and news to treat the word as a specific subject.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
kuma
Did you know?
- While 熊 is the animal, the phrase 熊手 involves the word for bear but refers to a 'rake' used in autumn to gather fallen leaves.
- In Japanese culture, bears are often associated with the 'god of the mountain' and are feared and respected as spiritual entities in remote villages.
- The word 熊 may share a root with the word 隈, which means 'inside corner' or 'hollow'. This likely refers to the dens where bears live.
Examples in context
- これは、クマ？Is this a bear?This sentence is useful for asking if the subject is a bear using the katakana form クマ.Tatoeba #10839972 by small_snow, translation #8342334 by shekitten
- あれはクマなの？Is that a bear?Tatoeba #8747044 by bunbuku, translation #6005628 by mailohilohi
- 熊は木に登れる。A bear can climb a tree.This sentence is useful for stating a capability of a bear using the kanji form 熊.Tatoeba #8933556 by small_snow, translation #18079 by CK
- Kuma-chan wa, itsumo kawaii desu ne! (くまちゃんは、いつもかわいいですね！)Kuma-chan is always adorable, right?
- 40 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Misaki and Kenta are looking at a picture in a book.
- 美咲 Misakiこの絵には熊が描いてあるね。Kono e ni wa kuma ga kaite aru ne.There is a bear drawn in this picture.
- 健太 Kenta本当だ、大きな熊だね。Hontou da, ookina kuma da ne.You're right, it's a big bear.
- 美咲 Misaki健太君は熊が好き？Kenta-kun wa kuma ga suki?Kenta, do you like bears?
- 健太 Kentaうん、かっこいいと思うよ。Un, kakkoii to omou yo.Yeah, I think they are cool.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bear” translations and entries 熊, クマ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 熊, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
