クラーケン
kurāken
The English word 'kraken' is translated into Japanese as クラーケン (kurāken).
This term refers to the legendary sea monster.
Meaning: Sea monster (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is kurāken.
Did you know?
- While クラーケン describes the mythical monster, the actual animal it is based on is called ダイオウイカ in Japanese, which literally means 'king squid'.
- While the European myth of the 'kraken' is well-known, Japanese folklore has its own legendary sea creatures, such as the 海坊主 or 'umibozu', which is a giant, shadowy monk-like entity.
- While クラーケン uses the katakana script, some stylized Japanese art will write it in 'kanji' using phonetic approximations to make the monster seem more ancient.
Examples in context
- クラーケンが巨大な船を襲ったんだって聞いたよ！I heard that the Kraken attacked a huge ship!
- クラーケンは伝説の怪物です。Kurāken wa densetsu no kaibutsu desu.The kraken is a legendary monster.
- 海にはクラーケンがいるかもしれません。Umi ni wa Kurāken ga iru kamoshiremasen.There might be a kraken in the sea.
- その映画にクラーケンが登場します。Sono eiga ni Kurāken ga tōjō shimasu.A kraken appears in that movie.
Example conversation
Kenta and Misaki are talking about a fantasy book.
- 美咲 Misakiこの本にクラーケンが出てくるよ。kono hon ni kurāken ga dete kuru yo.The Kraken appears in this book.
- 健太 Kentaえっ、どんな怪物なの？e, donna kaibutsu nano?What, what kind of monster is it?
- 美咲 Misaki船を飲み込むほど大きいんだよ。fune o nomikomu hodo ōkin da yo.It's big enough to swallow a ship.
- 健太 Kentaそれはすごいね。sore wa sugoi ne.That's amazing.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “kraken” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
