ドンキーコング
Donkī Kongu
The name of the video game character Donkey Kong in Japanese is ドンキーコング (Donkī Kongu).
This phrase is used to refer to the large gorilla character from the video game series of the same name.
Which one should you use?
ドンキーコング is the full name of the character. ドンキー is a shortened, casual version of the name.
How do you pronounce it?
Donkī Kongu
Did you know?
- In Japanese, ドンキー is also the shorthand name for 'Don Quijote', a wildly popular and eccentric discount store chain. Hearing the word ドンキー in a city often refers to the store rather than the video game character.
- The Japanese writing system uses 'katakana' for ドンキーコング because it is a foreign name. This script is used specifically for loanwords and sounds, making the name visually distinct from native Japanese words.
- The final syllable in コング (Kongu) is a result of the Japanese requirement to end almost every consonant with a vowel. This adds an extra beat to the name that is not present in the original English pronunciation.
Examples in context
- ドンキーやろうぜ！Let's play some Donkey Kong!
- ドンキーコングが大好きです。Donkī Kongu ga daisuki desu.I love Donkey Kong.
- ドンキーコングのゲームをしています。Donkī Kongu no gēmu o shite imasu.I am playing a Donkey Kong game.
- ドンキーコングはとても強いです。Donkī Kongu wa totemo tsuyoi desu.Donkey Kong is very strong.
Example conversation
Misaki and Hiroto are talking about their favorite characters.
- 美咲 Misaki大翔はどのキャラが好き？Hiroto wa dono kyara ga suki?Which character do you like, Hiroto?
- 大翔 Hiroto僕はドンキーコングが大好きだよ。Boku wa Donkī Kongu ga daisuki dayo.I love Donkey Kong.
- 美咲 Misakiかっこいいし、強いもんね。Kakkoii shi, tsuyoi mon ne.He is cool and strong, isn't he?
- 大翔 Hirotoそうなんだよ！Sō nan da yo!Exactly!
