イルカ
iruka
The Japanese word for dolphin is イルカ (iruka).
The word イルカ refers to the aquatic mammal known as a dolphin. In Japanese, it is most commonly written using the katakana script rather than kanji or hiragana.
Meaning: aquatic mammal (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
iruka
Did you know?
- The kanji for イルカ, which is 海豚, literally translates to 'sea pig'.
- Because イルカ is written in katakana, it visually matches the script used for foreign loanwords, even though it is a native Japanese word.
- While 'dolphin' is a single category in English, Japanese has a specific word シャチ for the orca, which is biologically a dolphin but treated as a distinct entity.
Examples in context
- イルカは哺乳類である。A dolphin is a mammal.This sentence shows how to state that a dolphin is a mammal using イルカ.Tatoeba #228453 by bunbuku, translation #65812 by CK
- イルカは哺乳類の一種です。A dolphin is a kind of mammal.This sentence shows how to describe a dolphin as a kind of mammal using イルカ.Tatoeba #228454 by bunbuku, translation #65811 by CK
- トムはイルカの絵を描いた。Tom drew a picture of a dolphin.This sentence shows how to describe a drawing of a dolphin using イルカ.Tatoeba #2709068 by tommy_san, translation #2709895 by CK
- イルカは賢い生き物ですDolphins are intelligent creatures
- 海の使者としてイルカは大切な存在ですDolphins are important beings as messengers of the sea
- 今日テレビでドルフィンショーを見たI watched a dolphin show on TV today
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
At an aquarium, looking at the large tank.
- 陽葵 Himariあのイルカ、すごく泳ぐのが速いね！Ano iruka, sugoku oyogu no ga hayai ne!That dolphin swims really fast!
- 蓮 Ren本当だ。かっこいいイルカだね。Hontou da. Kakkoii iruka da ne.You're right. It's a cool dolphin.
- 陽葵 Himari蓮くん、もっと近くで見たい？Ren-kun, motto chikaku de mitai?Ren, do you want to see it closer?
- 蓮 Renうん、もっと近くで見たいよ。Un, motto chikaku de mitai yo.Yeah, I want to see it closer.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry イルカ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
