怪獣
kaijū[ka̠iʑɨː]
The word kaiju comes from Japanese 怪獣 (kaijū), the word for a giant fictional monster like those in Godzilla films.
怪獣 can refer to any strange beast, but in modern use it most often means the giant monsters of the film genre popularized by Godzilla.
Meaning: fictional giant monster (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
怪獣 is made of two kanji. 怪 (kai) means strange or mysterious and 獣 (jū) means beast or animal, so the word literally means strange beast.
Which one should you use?
A kaiju of immense size is often called a Daikaiju. Kaiju Eiga is the name of the film genre focused on kaiju. Kaiju Tatakai means monster battle. Bakemono is a different word for supernatural or monstrous creatures, used in some regions or historical contexts.
How do you pronounce it?
It is pronounced kaijū. The final ū is a long u, held longer than a short one, which English spelling usually drops.
Did you know?
- The first kaiju films served as social metaphors for the nuclear trauma experienced in the 1940s rather than just simple monster movies.
- In Japanese pop culture, a distinction is made between kaiju and kaijin, with the latter specifically referring to monsters that are mutated humans or human-sized.
- The kanji 獣 (jū) in 怪獣 is also found in the word for 'veterinarian', 獣医師 (jūishi), connecting cinematic monsters to animal medicine.
Examples in context
- 最新のゴジラ映画には凄いカイジュウが出てくるよ！The latest Godzilla movie features an amazing kaiju!
- あの映画には大きな怪獣が出てくる。Ano eiga ni wa ookina kaiju ga detekuru.A large kaiju appears in that movie.
- 子供たちは怪獣のフィギュアが大好きです。Kodomotachi wa kaiju no figyua ga daisuki desu.Children love kaiju figures.
- この怪獣はとても強そうですね。Kono kaiju wa totemo tsuyosou desu ne.This kaiju looks very strong.
Example conversation
Hiroto and Misaki are talking about a movie they saw.
- 大翔 Hiroto昨日の映画の怪獣はすごかったね。Kinō no eiga no kaijū wa sugokatta ne.The kaiju in yesterday's movie was amazing, wasn't it?
- 美咲 Misakiうん、本当に怖かったよ。Un, hontō ni kowakatta yo.Yeah, it was really scary.
- 大翔 Hiroto美咲はどの怪獣が一番好き？Misaki wa dono kaijū ga ichiban suki?Which kaiju do you like the most, Misaki?
- 美咲 Misaki私は空を飛べる怪獣が好きかな。Watashi wa sora o toberu kaijū ga suki kana.I think I like the kaiju that can fly.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “kaiju” translations and entries 怪獣, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
