鹿
shika[ɕi̥ka̠]
The Japanese word for "deer" is 鹿 (shika).
鹿 is a noun used to refer to animals belonging to the family Cervidae.
Meaning: animal of the family Cervidae (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
To indicate possession or to say "of a deer", add the particle の to the noun to form 鹿の.
How do you pronounce it?
shika
Did you know?
- In Nara, 鹿 are considered divine messengers of the gods and roam freely, often bowing to tourists to ask for treats.
- One theory suggests that the word 鹿 (shika) arose from its resemblance to a branching point in a tree or a cross-shaped spindle.
Examples in context
- 鹿は命懸けで逃げた。The deer ran for its life.This sentence illustrates the use of 鹿 to describe a deer running for its life.Tatoeba #149645 by bunbuku, translation #1221436 by CK
- 彼らは鹿や狐を狩った。They hunted deer and foxes.This sentence shows how to use 鹿 when listing animals like deer and foxes.Tatoeba #98059 by Sim5634, translation #305643 by CK
- 鹿は１頭だけで走っていた。The deer was running by itself.This sentence demonstrates the use of 鹿 when referring to a single deer running alone.Tatoeba #149648 by tommy__san, translation #264910 by CK
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A young man and woman are visiting a park in Nara.
- 陽葵 Himariあそこに鹿がいますよ。Asoko ni shika ga imasu yo.There is a deer over there.
- 陽太 Yota本当だ、可愛い鹿ですね。Hontō da, kawaii shika desu ne.You're right, it's a cute deer.
- 陽葵 Himari陽太さんは鹿に餌をあげますか？Yōta-san wa shika ni esa o agemasu ka?Will you feed the deer, Yota?
- 陽太 Yota少しだけならあげてもいいですよ。Sukoshi dake nara agete mo ii desu yo.I can feed them just a little bit.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “deer” translations and entries 鹿, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 鹿, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
