Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 獺 | kawauso | [ɯ̟so̞] (narrow) |
| 川獺 | kawauso | [ka̠β̞a̠ɯ̟so̞] (narrow) |
| 海獺 | rakko | [ɾa̠k̚ko̞] (narrow) [ɯ̟mʲiɯ̟so̞] (narrow) |
| ラッコ | rakko |
The term for otter varies depending on whether you are referring to a river otter or a sea otter. kawauso is the standard term for a river otter, while rakko is used specifically for a sea otter.
What does it mean word for word?
The kanji form for river otter, 川獺, is composed of the characters for 'river' (川) and 'otter' (獺).
Which one should you use?
kawauso (written as 獺 or 川獺) refers to river otters, whereas rakko (written as 海獺 or ラッコ) is used specifically for sea otters.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For river otters, kawauso is used in formal settings and standard conversations. In modern Japanese, the katakana spelling ラッコ is much more common than the kanji 海獺 when referring to sea otters. Similarly, the katakana spelling カワウソ is frequently used for river otters in scientific or general contexts.
How do you pronounce it?
kawauso
Did you know?
- In Japanese folklore, the kawauso is often depicted as a shapeshifter capable of transforming into a human to trick people.
- While 'kawauso' is the common term for river otters, the word 'rakko' for sea otters is actually a loanword from the Ainu language.
- While 海獺 is written with the kanji for 'sea' and 'otter', it is read as rakko through a process called jukujikun, where a native word is assigned to a kanji compound regardless of the characters' sounds.
Example sentences for Japanese are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Yui and Yota are looking at animals at the zoo.
- 結衣 Yui見て、陽太！あそこに獺がいるよ。Mite, Yōta! Asoko ni kawauso ga iru yo.Look, Yota! There is an otter over there.
- 陽太 Yota本当だ。獺は泳ぐのが速いね。Hontō da. Kawauso wa oyogu no ga hayai ne.You're right. Otters swim fast.
- 結衣 Yuiあんなに元気に動いていて面白いね。Anna ni genki ni ugoite ite omoshiroi ne.It's interesting how energetically they move.
- 陽太 Yotaそうだね。ずっと見ていられるよ。Sō da ne. Zutto mite irareru yo.True. I could watch them forever.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “otter” translations and entries 獺, 川獺, 海獺, ラッコ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ラッコ, 川獺, 海獺, CC BY-SA 4.0.
