小羊
kohitsuji[ko̞çi̥t͡sɨʑi]
The English word 'lamb' is translated into Japanese as 小羊 (kohitsuji) or ラム.
Meaning: young sheep (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 小羊 | kohitsuji | [ko̞çi̥t͡sɨʑi] (narrow) |
| ラム | ramu | [ɾa̠mɯ̟] (narrow) |
The choice of word depends on whether you are talking about the living animal or the meat used in cooking. Use 小羊 to refer to the animal itself and ラム when referring to lamb as a culinary ingredient.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 小羊 is composed of 小, meaning small or little and 羊, meaning sheep.
Which one should you use?
Use 小羊 when referring to the young sheep as an animal. In contrast, use ラム when referring to lamb in a culinary context or as a loanword for the meat.
How do you pronounce it?
kohitsuji
Did you know?
- In Japanese, the word ラム is a homonym that can refer to lamb meat, the alcoholic drink 'rum' or 'RAM' computer memory.
- In Japan, ラム is famously associated with 'Genghis Khan' style grilled meat, a specialty of Hokkaido that uses a convex metal grill.
- The character 羊 is a pictograph that originally depicted the two horns and the woolly body of a sheep.
Examples in context
- ラムより牛の方が好き。I like beef more than lamb.This sentence demonstrates a preference for beef over ラム.Tatoeba #11512416 by small_snow, translation #9009377 by pandaaa217
- 私はラム肉の串焼きが好きです。I like lamb meat skewers.This sentence shows how to express a liking for skewers made of ラム.Tatoeba #13540971 by LeviHighway, translation #14043748 by Dexterity121
- 小羊が草原を走っています。kohitsuji ga sougen o hashitte imasu.A little lamb is running through the meadow.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Misaki and Hiroto are visiting a farm.
- 美咲 Misaki見て、可愛い小羊がいるよ！Mite, kawaii kohitsuji ga iru yo!Look, there is a cute little lamb!
- 大翔 Hiroto本当だ、とても小さくて可愛いね。Hontou da, totemo chiisakute kawaii ne.You're right, it's so small and cute.
- 美咲 Misakiあの子、一生懸命走っているわ。Ano ko, isshoukenmei hashitte iru wa.That little one is running with all its might.
- 大翔 Hiroto元気な小羊だね。Genki na kohitsuji da ne.It's a lively little lamb, isn't it?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “lamb” translations and entries 小羊, ラム, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ラム, 小羊, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
