How to Say "Dodo" in Japanese

ドードー

dōdō[do̞ːdo̞ː]

The Japanese word for the dodo (Raphus cucullatus) is ドードー (dōdō).

ドードー is a noun used to refer to the extinct flightless bird known as the dodo.

Meaning: Raphus cucullatus (noun)

How do you pronounce it?

The romanization is dōdō.

The long vowel marks in ドードー are essential because without them, ドドー is often used as an onomatopoeia in manga to represent a sudden, dramatic surge of energy or a booming sound.
While English uses 'dodo' as a metaphor for stupidity, Japanese uses the term 間抜け ('manuke') or まぬけ for a silly person, leaving ドードー strictly as a biological label.
In Japanese, ドードー is written using katakana, a script typically reserved for foreign words, sounds, and animal names, which signals to the reader that the bird is not native to Japan.

どうぶつ園（どうぶつえん）で見（み）たいのはドードー（or ドドー）です。
I want to see a dodo bird at the zoo.
図鑑にドードーの絵がありました。
Zukan ni dodo no e ga arimashita.
There was a picture of a dodo in the picture book.
ドードーは絶滅した鳥です。
Dodo wa zetsumetsu shita tori desu.
The dodo is an extinct bird.
昔、ドードーが島に住んでいました。
Mukashi, dodo ga shima ni sunde imashita.
Long ago, dodos lived on the island.

Ren and Yui are looking at a book about extinct animals.

蓮 Ren

このドードーという鳥は面白いね。
Kono dodo to iu tori wa omoshiroi ne.
This bird called the dodo is interesting, isn't it?
結衣 Yui

本当だね。見た目がとても不思議だわ。
Honto da ne. Mitame ga totemo fushigi da wa.
It really is. Its appearance is very strange.
蓮 Ren

昔はたくさんドードーがいたらしいよ。
Mukashi wa takusan dodo ga ita rashii yo.
I heard there used to be many dodos a long time ago.
結衣 Yui

今はもう見られないのが残念だね。
Ima wa mo mirenai no ga zannen da ne.
It's a pity we can't see them anymore.

Sources

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