チーター
chītā[t͡ɕiːta̠ː]
The English word 'cheetah' is translated into Japanese as チーター (chītā). Wiktionary also lists 狩猟豹 (shuryōhyō).
Meaning: Acinonyx jubatus (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| チーター | chītā | [t͡ɕiːta̠ː] (narrow) |
| 狩猟豹 | shuryōhyō |
The term refers to the animal Acinonyx jubatus.
Which one should you use?
The katakana form チーター is the standard, everyday way to say cheetah, whereas the kanji form 狩猟豹 is a more technical or biological term.
How do you pronounce it?
chītā
Did you know?
- The katakana spelling チーター is a linguistic double-edged sword. While it is the standard loanword for the animal, it is homophonous with the English word 'cheater', which can lead to confusing puns in Japanese media.
- The word チーター is a loanword from English, which in turn borrowed the term from the Hindi word चीता ('cītā').
- The formal kanji version 狩猟豹 translates literally to 'hunting leopard'. This highlights a historical tendency in Japanese to categorize exotic animals by their behavior or physical resemblance to known species.
Examples in context
- 一番速い動物はチーターです。The cheetah is the fastest animal.Tatoeba #1550960 by FiRez, translation #1550962 by FiRez
- 私はアフリカでチーターを見たことがあります。I have seen a cheetah in Africa.
- チーターはとても速いです。chītā wa totemo hayai desu.The cheetah is very fast.
- あそこにチーターがいます。asoko ni chītā ga imasu.There is a cheetah over there.
Example conversation
Daigaku and Himari are looking at a picture book of animals.
- 大翔 Hirotoこの動物はなあに？Kono dōbutsu wa nāni?What is this animal?
- 陽葵 Himariこれはチーターだよ。Kore wa chītā da yo.This is a cheetah.
- 大翔 Hirotoかっこいい点々があるね。Kakkoii tenten ga aru ne.It has cool spots.
- 陽葵 Himariうん、とてもきれいだよね。Un, totemo kirei da yo ne.Yeah, they are very beautiful.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cheetah” translations and entries チーター, 狩猟豹, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries チーター, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
