ケンタウロス
Kentaurosu[kẽ̞nta̠ɯ̟ɾo̞sɨ]
The English word 'centaur' is translated into Japanese as ケンタウロス (Kentaurosu). Wiktionary also lists 人馬 (jinba).
Meaning: mythical half-man, half-horse (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| ケンタウロス | Kentaurosu | [kẽ̞nta̠ɯ̟ɾo̞sɨ] (narrow) |
| 人馬 | jinba | [d͡ʑĩmba̠] (narrow) |
The term refers to the mythical creature that is half-man and half-horse.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 人馬 (jinba) is a compound consisting of the characters for 'person' (人) and 'horse' (馬), meaning 'human-horse'.
Which one should you use?
ケンタウロス is the standard katakana loanword used to refer to the creature from Greek mythology. 人馬 is a descriptive term that literally means 'human-horse'.
How do you pronounce it?
Kentaurosu
Did you know?
- The idiom 人馬一体 (jinba ittai), which describes the perfect harmony between a rider and a horse, is now a famous marketing slogan used by Mazda to describe the connection between a driver and their car.
- The word ケンタウロス is a learned borrowing from the Ancient Greek word κένταυρος.
- While 人馬 (jinba) can mean a centaur, it is frequently used in sports reporting to refer to the physical pairing of a jockey and a horse as a single unit.
Examples in context
- 昔々、ケンタウロスという神話の生物がいたと言われています。Once upon a time, there was said to be a mythological creature called a centaur.
- ケンタウロスはギリシャ神話に登場します。Kentaurosu wa Girisha shinwa ni toujou shimasu.The centaur appears in Greek mythology.
- この彫刻はケンタウロスを表現しています。Kono choukoku wa Kentaurosu o hyougen shite imasu.This sculpture depicts a centaur.
- ケンタウロスの絵を教室に飾りました。Kentaurosu no e o kyoushitsu ni kazarimashita.I decorated the classroom with a picture of a centaur.
Example conversation
Two students are talking about a fantasy novel in a library.
- 結衣 Yuiこの物語にはケンタウロスが出てくるの？Kono monogatari ni wa Kentaurosu ga detekuru no?Does a centaur appear in this story?
- 大翔 Hirotoうん、すごくかっこいいキャラクターだよ。Un, sugoku kakkoii kyarakutaa dayo.Yeah, it is a really cool character.
- 結衣 Yui大翔君は、その本を読んだことがあるの？Hiroto-kun wa, sono hon o yonda koto ga aru no?Hiroto, have you read that book before?
- 大翔 Hirotoまだだけど、すごく面白そうだよ。Mada dakedo, sugoku omoshirosou dayo.Not yet, but it looks very interesting.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “centaur” translations and entries ケンタウロス, 人馬, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ケンタウロス, CC BY-SA 4.0.
