恐竜
kyōryū[kʲo̞ːɾʲɨː]
The English word "dinosaurs" is translated into Japanese as 恐竜 (kyōryū).
恐竜 is used to refer to the large reptiles that lived on Earth millions of years ago and are now extinct. The term itself carries the meaning of "terrible lizard".
How do you pronounce it?
kyōryū
When do people say it?
Adding the honorific suffix さん to 恐竜 to create 恐竜さん produces a personified image of the dinosaur.
Did you know?
- The Japanese term 恐竜 is a 'calque', meaning it was invented by translating the Latin roots of the word 'dinosaurs' directly into Japanese characters.
- Because the second character 竜 also means 'dragon', a Japanese speaker might associate these prehistoric creatures with mythical monsters in certain literary contexts.
- The word was coined by a single individual, the scientist Matajirō Yokoyama, in 1895 to provide a Japanese equivalent for Western paleontological terms.
Examples in context
- 鳥は恐竜から進化しました。Birds evolved from dinosaurs.This sentence is useful for mentioning the evolution of birds from 恐竜.Tatoeba #5084963 by Andy_Andy, translation #3494835 by Hybrid
- 恐竜は現在では死滅してしまった。Dinosaurs are now extinct.This sentence is useful for stating that 恐竜 are currently extinct.Tatoeba #180373 by bunbuku, translation #19145 by CK
- かつては恐竜が地球を支配していた。Dinosaurs used to rule the earth.This sentence is useful for describing how 恐竜 once ruled the earth.Tatoeba #226332 by tommy_san, translation #63673 by CK
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are at a natural history museum.
- 美咲 Misakiこの恐竜の模型、すごくリアルだね。Kono kyoryu no mokei, sugoku riaru dane.This dinosaur model is so realistic.
- 蓮 Ren本当に。昔の恐竜は大きかったんだろうな。Honto ni. Mukashi no kyoryu wa okikatta ndaro na.Truly. I bet the dinosaurs of the past were huge.
- 美咲 Misaki蓮君、あっちのティラノサウルスも見に行こう！Ren-kun, acchi no tiranosaurus mo mi ni iko!Ren, let's go see that Tyrannosaurus over there too!
- 蓮 Renうん、行こう。Un, iko.Yeah, let's go.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 恐竜, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 恐竜, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
