How to Say "Cactus" in Japanese

サボテン

saboten[sa̠bo̞tẽ̞ɴ]

The Japanese word for cactus is サボテン (saboten). Wiktionary also lists シャボテン (shaboten).

Meaning: member of the Cactaceae (noun)

Ways to say it

“cactus” in Japanese
Japanese	Romanization (Wiktionary)	IPA
サボテン	saboten	[sa̠bo̞tẽ̞ɴ] (narrow)
シャボテン	shaboten	[ɕa̠bo̞tẽ̞ɴ] (narrow)

サボテン is used to refer to any member of the Cactaceae family.

シャボテン is a common colloquial or slightly older pronunciation of サボテン.

saboten

The word サボテン may have roots in the Portuguese word for 'soap', 'sabão'. This is because Portuguese explorers may have used cactus stems as a way to clean stains.
In Chinese-derived kanji, a cactus can be written as 仙人掌, which literally translates to 'the palm of a hermit'.
Another way to refer to a cactus in kanji is 霸王樹, a term that translates to 'overlord tree'.

サボテンを買いました。
I bought a cactus.
This sentence is useful for practicing the purchase of a サボテン.
Tatoeba #8553862 by small_snow, translation #2898163 by AlanF_US
「僕のサボテンはどこ？」「窓辺だよ」
"Where is my cactus?" "On the windowsill."
This sentence is useful for locating a サボテン.
Tatoeba #11625024 by small_snow, translation #7829462 by AlanF_US
サボテンのトゲって何のためにあるか知ってる？
Do you know what the spikes on a cactus are for?
This sentence is useful for discussing the spikes of a サボテン.
Tatoeba #3583571 by tommy_san, translation #12327490 by end
サボテンの可愛さに惹かれて、最近多肉植物のコレクションを始めました。
I was drawn to the cuteness of cacti, so I recently started a succulent collection.
1 more sentence on Tatoeba

Ren and Yui are at a garden center.

蓮 Ren

このサボテン、可愛いですね。
Kono saboten, kawaii desu ne.
This cactus is cute, isn't it?
結衣 Yui

本当だね。でも、トゲがあるから気をつけて。
Hontou da ne. Demo, toge ga aru kara ki o tsukete.
You're right. But be careful because it has spines.
蓮 Ren

結衣さんにプレゼントしたいんだけど、いいかな？
Yui-san ni purezento shitai ndakedo, ii kana?
I want to give it to you as a present, is that okay?
結衣 Yui

嬉しい！ありがとう、蓮くん。
Ureshii! Arigatou, Ren-kun.
I'm so happy! Thank you, Ren.

Sources

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