猿
saru[sa̠ɾɯ̟]
The Japanese word for monkey is 猿 (saru).
猿 refers to the primate known as a monkey.
Meaning: primate (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
saru
Did you know?
- Many traditional Japanese shrines have statues of saru because monkeys are believed to be messengers of the mountain deity, Sanno-sama.
- The word 'saru' is a homophone for the Japanese verb 'to leave' or 'to depart', which is written as 去る.
- The Ainu language may have influenced the word through the term サロ (saro), which is thought to combine words for 'tail' and 'to carry'.
Examples in context
- 猿が俺のバナナを食べやがった。The monkey ate my banana.Tatoeba #12593329 by small_snow, translation #11094976 by ddnktr
- その太った女性は猿を抱きかかえていた。The fat woman was holding a monkey.Tatoeba #1211966 by bunbuku, translation #388608 by CK
- 「ごめん、反省してる」「反省だけなら猿でもできるよ」"I'm sorry. I reflected on what I did." "Reflected on what you did? That's something that even a monkey could do!"Tatoeba #3179554 by tommy_san, translation #3182853 by WestofEden
- 9 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Kenta and Yui are visiting a zoo together.
- 健太 Kentaあそこに猿がいるよ。Asoko ni saru ga iru yo.There is a monkey over there.
- 結衣 Yui本当だ！とても可愛いね。Hontou da! Totemo kawaii ne.You're right! It's very cute.
- 健太 Kentaあの猿、何してるのかな。Ano saru, nani shiteru no kana.I wonder what that monkey is doing.
- 結衣 Yuiバナナを食べてるみたい。Banana o tabeteru mitai.It looks like it's eating a banana.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “monkey” translations and entries 猿, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 猿, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
