ゴブリン
goburin[ɡo̞bɯ̟ɾʲĩɴ]
The Japanese word for the English phrase 'goblin' is ゴブリン (goburin).
ゴブリン is used to refer to a hostile, diminutive humanoid often found in fantasy literature.
Meaning: hostile diminutive humanoid in fantasy literature (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is goburin.
Did you know?
- While ゴブリン is a loanword, Japanese folklore has the oni, a horned ogre or demon that shares similar roles as a menacing humanoid monster.
- Because the Japanese language lacks a 'v' sound, the 'b' in ゴブリン is used as a substitute, changing the pronunciation slightly from the English original.
- The term ゴブリン gained massive popularity in Japan through the influence of Western tabletop RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons, rather than through traditional folklore.
Examples in context
- あのゲームにはゴブリンが出てくる。Ano gēmu ni wa goburin ga detekuru.Goblins appear in that game.
- ゴブリンはとても凶暴なモンスターだ。Goburin wa totemo kyōbō na monsutā da.A goblin is a very ferocious monster.
- 森の中にゴブリンの村がある。Mori no naka ni goburin no mura ga aru.There is a goblin village in the forest.
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing a fantasy novel.
- 結衣 Yuiこの物語にはゴブリンがたくさん登場するね。Kono monogatari ni wa goburin ga takusan tōjō suru ne.A lot of goblins appear in this story, don't they?
- 大翔 Hirotoうん、彼はゴブリンを倒すのが得意なんだ。Un, kare wa goburin o taosu no ga tokui nanda.Yeah, he is good at defeating goblins.
- 結衣 Yuiゴブリンは怖くないの？Goburin wa kowakunai no?Aren't the goblins scary?
- 大翔 Hiroto少し怖いけど、かっこいいよ。Sukoshi kowai kedo, kakkoii yo.They are a little scary, but they are cool.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “goblin” translations and entries ゴブリン, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
