ゴジラ
Gojira[ɡo̞ʑiɾa̠]
The Japanese name for the science-fiction monster Godzilla is ゴジラ (Gojira).
ゴジラ is the most common and straightforward way to refer to the character in Japanese.
Meaning: Japanese science-fiction monster (name)
Which one should you use?
While ゴジラ is the standard name, you can modify it with different honorifics to change the tone. Adding さん makes the character feel more friendly and approachable, while adding ちゃん creates an informal and cute way to refer to him.
How do you pronounce it?
Gojira
Did you know?
- The name ゴジラ is a portmanteau created by blending the words for 'gorilla', ゴリラ, and 'whale', 鯨.
- While English speakers view the character as a movie monster, some Japanese audiences historically viewed ゴジラ as a metaphor for the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
- In Japanese pop culture, adding the honorific 様 to ゴジラ creates the phrase ゴジラ様, treating the monster as a majestic deity or a high-ranking god.
Examples in context
- ゴジラは絶対に皇居・スポンサー会社の看板を壊さない。Godzilla will never ever destroy the Imperial Palace nor the signboards of the sponsoring companies.This sentence illustrates how ゴジラ is used in a sentence regarding what the character will not destroy.Tatoeba #182233 by sugisaki, translation #581845 by xtofu80
- 映画『ゴジラ』が日本で大ヒットした。The movie "Godzilla" was a huge hit in Japan.
- ゴッドジラは東京を襲った。Godzilla attacked Tokyo.
- ゴジラさんがまた東京にやってきたよ！Godzilla is back in Tokyo again!
- ゴジラちゃんが怒っちゃって、みんな逃げてた！Godzilla got mad, and everyone was running away!
- ゴジラはとても強そうです。Gojira wa totemo tsuyosou desu.Godzilla looks very strong.
- 子供たちはゴジラが大好きです。Kodomotachi wa Gojira ga daisuki desu.Children love Godzilla.
Example conversation
A man and a woman are talking about movies at a cafe.
- 大翔 Hiroto美咲、ゴジラの映画を見たことがありますか？Misaki, Gojira no eiga o mita koto ga arimasu ka?Misaki, have you ever seen a Godzilla movie?
- 美咲 Misakiはい、大翔さんも見ましたか？Hai, Hiroto-san mo mimashita ka?Yes, have you seen it too, Hiroto?
- 大翔 Hirotoええ、とても迫力がありました。Ee, totemo hakuryoku ga arimashita.Yes, it was very powerful.
- 美咲 Misakiまた一緒に見たいですね。Mata issho ni mitai desu ne.I'd like to see it together again.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “godzilla” translations and entries ゴジラ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ゴジラ, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
