How to Say "Kangaroos" in Japanese

カンガルー

kangarū[kã̠ŋɡa̠ɾɯ̟ː]

The Japanese word for "kangaroos" is カンガルー (kangarū).

Meaning: Translations (noun)

How does it change in a sentence?

Japanese nouns do not change form to indicate plurality, so the same word カンガルー is used for both singular and plural contexts.

kangarū

The word カンガルー is a phonetic adaptation of the English word, which itself was borrowed from the Guugu Yimidhirr language. This makes the Japanese term a second-generation loanword in the context of global linguistic exchange.
In Japanese pop culture, the word カンガルー is frequently associated with 'boxing' imagery, reflecting a common stereotype of the animal in Japanese media.
While English speakers often use 'plurality' to distinguish between one or many, a Japanese speaker might use the counter 匹 (hiki) after カンガルー to clarify the number. This counter is specifically used for small to medium-sized animals.

コアラはカンガルーよりも人気があります。
Koalas are more popular than kangaroos.
This sentence is useful for comparing the popularity of koalas and カンガルー.
Tatoeba #225087 by bunbuku, translation #62422 by CK
オーストリアに行ったけど、カンガルーは見なかった。
I went to Austria, but I didn't see any kangaroos.
This sentence is useful for describing a situation where you did not see any カンガルー while in Austria.
Tatoeba #10212646 by small_snow, translation #7457328 by deniko
きょう、動物園に行ったよ！
Today, I went to the zoo!
カンガルー！すごくかわいいし、ジャンプがすごかったよ。
Kangaroos! They were incredibly cute, and their jumps were amazing.
それは楽しそうだね！
That sounds fun!
カンガルーはほんとうにかわいいね！
Kangaroos are really cute, aren't they?
コアラに比べて、カンガルーのほうが速いんだよ。
Compared to koalas, kangaroos are faster.
あのカンガルーは大きいね！
That kangaroo is big!
動物園でカンガルーを見た。
Dōbutsuen de kangarū o mita.
I saw kangaroos at the zoo.

Kenta and Misaki are looking at a picture book about animals.

美咲 Misaki

この動物は名前は何？
Kono dōbutsu wa namae wa nan?
What is the name of this animal?
健太 Kenta

これはカンガルーだよ。
Kore wa kangarū dayo.
This is a kangaroo.
美咲 Misaki

お腹の袋が面白いね。
Onaka no fukuro ga omoshiroi ne.
The pouch on the belly is interesting, isn't it?
健太 Kenta

そこに赤ちゃんが入っているんだよ。
Soko ni akachan ga haitte irun dayo.
The baby stays inside there.

Sources

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