How to Say "Pond" in Japanese

池

ike[ike̞]

The English word 'pond' is translated into Japanese as 池 (ike).

池 is a common way to say pond in Japanese and refers to a natural or artificially created pond.

Meaning: small lake (noun)

Is it said differently in some regions?

In certain regional dialects, the word numa might be used instead of 池.

ike

In modern Japanese slang, the term 沼 (numa) is used to describe a hobby or obsession that someone 'sinks' into, similar to the English 'rabbit hole'.
The word 池 is a core component of 'ike-jime', a professional method of slaughtering fish to preserve meat quality by spiking the brain.
The word 池 is recorded in the 'Kojiki', one of Japan's oldest historical texts from 712 CE. This means the word for 'pond' has remained recognizable for over 1,300 years.

池が干上がった。
The pond has dried up.
This sentence is useful for describing a pond that has dried up using 池.
Tatoeba #126796 by arnab, translation #277294 by CK
池が凍ってるよ。
The pond is frozen.
This sentence is useful for describing a pond that is frozen using 池.
Tatoeba #7298710 by Mari_Taguchi, translation #7298693 by Hybrid
この池は浅いです。
This pond is shallow.
This sentence is useful for describing a pond that is shallow using 池.
Tatoeba #10032757 by small_snow, translation #9176641 by CK
83 more sentences on Tatoeba

Misaki and Ren are walking in a park.

蓮 Ren

あそこに小さな池がありますね。
Asoko ni chiisana ike ga arimasu ne.
There is a small pond over there, isn't there?
美咲 Misaki

本当だ。綺麗な池ですね。
Hontō da. Kireina ike desu ne.
You're right. It's a beautiful pond.
蓮 Ren

池に魚がたくさん泳いでいます。
Ike ni sakana ga takusan oyoide imasu.
Many fish are swimming in the pond.
美咲 Misaki

ゆっくり見ていきましょう。
Yukkuri mite ikimashō.
Let's take our time and look at them.

Sources

Wiktionary, “pond” translations and entries 池, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.

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