ディンゴ
dingo[dʲĩŋɡo̞]
The Japanese word for the English phrase "dingo" is ディンゴ.
The term is used to refer to the wild dog native to Australia.
Meaning: wild dog native to Australia (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is dingo.
Did you know?
- In Japanese pop culture, the word ディンゴ is sometimes associated with the 'Dingo ate my baby' urban legend from Australia, which has been discussed in Japanese true crime and mystery forums.
- In Japanese, the 'di' sound in ディンゴ is an artificial construction. Since traditional Japanese phonology lacks a 'di' sound, it must be spelled using a combination of two characters to approximate the foreign pronunciation.
- If a Japanese person were to describe a dingo without using the loanword, they would likely use the word 野生犬 (yaseiken). This combines 'wild' and 'dog', rather than inventing a new specific name for the species.
Examples in context
- ディンゴはオーストラリアの犬です。Dingo wa Oosutoraria no inu desu.A dingo is an Australian dog.
- 野生のディンゴを見ました。Yasei no dingo o mimashita.I saw a wild dingo.
- ディンゴの鳴き声は不思議です。Dingo no nakigoe wa fushigi desu.The dingo's howl is mysterious.
Example conversation
Yui and Yota are looking at a picture book about animals.
- 結衣 Yui陽太、この動物は何か知ってる？Yōta, kono dōbutsu wa nanika shitteru?Yota, do you know what this animal is?
- 陽太 Yotaこれはディンゴという犬だよ。kore wa dingo to iu inu dayo.This is a dog called a dingo.
- 結衣 Yuiディンゴはどこにいるの？dingo wa doko ni iru no?Where are dingoes found?
- 陽太 Yota主にオーストラリアにいるよ。omoni ōsutoraria ni iru yo.They are mainly in Australia.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dingo” translations and entries ディンゴ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
