How to Say "Megalodon" in Japanese

メガロドン

megarodon

The English word "megalodon" can be translated into Japanese as メガロドン (megarodon) or 昔大頬白鮫.

Meaning: extinct shark in species of Carcharocles megalodon (noun)

Ways to say it

“megalodon” in Japanese
Japanese	Romanization (Wiktionary)
メガロドン	megarodon
昔大頬白鮫	mukashiōhōjirozame

The term refers to the extinct shark species belonging to the genus Carcharocles.

megarodon

While 'megalodon' is a scientific term in English, the katakana version メガロドン is frequently used in Japanese to evoke the feeling of a 'monster' rather than a biological specimen. This makes it feel more like the name of a character in a 'kaiju' film than a fossil.
The term 昔大頬白鮫 includes the character 昔, which is typically used for 'long ago' in stories, rather than the more scientific kanji for 'extinct'.
The character 頬 in the formal name 昔大頬白鮫 specifically refers to the 'cheeks', a detail not present in the standard English name.

父が巨大ザメの化石を見つけました。
Dad found a megalodon fossil.
この本にはメガロドンの写真がたくさん載っています。
This book contains many pictures of megalodon.
メガロドンはとても大きなサメでした。
megarodon wa totemo ookina same deshita.
The megalodon was a very large shark.
メガロドンの歯はとても鋭いです。
megarodon no ha wa totemo surudoi desu.
The megalodon's teeth are very sharp.

Two friends are talking about a sea life documentary at a cafe.

大翔 Hiroto

さっき、メガロドンの映画を見たよ。
sakki, megarodon no eiga o mita yo.
I just watched a movie about the megalodon.
美咲 Misaki

すごそう！どんな感じだった？
sugosou! donna kanji datta?
That sounds amazing! What was it like?
大翔 Hiroto

迫力がすごくて、びっくりしたよ。
hakuryoku ga sugokute, bikkuri shita yo.
The power of it was incredible, I was surprised.
美咲 Misaki

大翔くんは恐竜よりメガロドンが好きなんだね。
Hiroto-kun wa kyoryu yori megarodon ga suki nanda ne.
You like the megalodon more than dinosaurs, Hiroto.

Sources

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