キングギドラ
Kingu Gidora
The English name King Ghidorah is written as キングギドラ (Kingu Gidora) in Japanese.
キングギドラ refers to the fictional three-headed monster from the Godzilla movie series.
What does it mean word for word?
The name is a katakana transliteration of the English name 'King Ghidorah'. The first part, キング (Kingu), is the Japanese phonetic rendering of the English word 'King'.
How do you pronounce it?
Kingu Gidora
Did you know?
- Because the name is written in katakana, it is treated as a foreign loanword rather than a native Japanese name. This gives the monster a sense of being an 'alien' or 'outsider' to the Japanese world.
- In Japanese media, the name is often paired with specific kanji for 'Three-Headed Giant Serpent' to provide a more traditional, mythical feel. Even though the name is katakana, these kanji descriptions help ground the monster in ancient legend.
- Despite the English-sounding name, キングギドラ is an icon of 'tokusatsu', a Japanese genre of special effects filming. This style of production heavily influenced the visual language of modern global blockbuster cinema.
Examples in context
- キングギドラは怪獣の王として有名です。King Ghidorah is famous as the king of monsters.
- 映画に出てくるキングギドラが大好きです。Eiga ni detekuru Kingu Gidora ga daisuki desu.I love King Ghidorah, who appears in the movies.
- キングギドラはとても強いモンスターです。Kingu Gidora wa totemo tsuyoi monsutā desu.King Ghidorah is a very strong monster.
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about giant monster movies at a cafe.
- 健太 Kenta結衣さんは、キングギドラを知っていますか？Yui-san wa, Kingu Gidora o shitte imasu ka?Yui, do you know King Ghidorah?
- 結衣 Yuiはい、もちろん知っていますよ。Hai, mochiron shitte imasu yo.Yes, of course I know him.
- 健太 Kentaやっぱり、結衣さんも怪獣が好きなんですね。Yappari, Yui-san mo kaijū ga suki nan desu ne.I thought so, you like giant monsters too, Yui.
- 結衣 Yuiはい、とてもかっこいいです！Hai, totemo kakkoii desu!Yes, he is very cool!
