ガオ
gao
The English phrase "rawr" is translated into Japanese as ガオ (gao).
ガオ is an informal onomatopoeia used to mimic the sound of a ferocious roar, such as that of a lion or a dinosaur.
Which one should you use?
While ガオ is the standard form, you may also encounter ガオー. By extending the final vowel to ガオー, the roar sounds longer and more dramatic, which is often used when acting playful or during storytelling.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some areas, the word ゴロゴロ is used instead to represent the sound of a growling or roaring creature.
How do you pronounce it?
gao
Did you know?
- In certain contexts, the sound of a beast's throat rumbling or a predator's growl is expressed as ゴロゴロ, which is the same word used for the sound of thunder or a rolling stone.
- Japanese uses different characters for the same sound to change the 'texture' of the roar, such as using katakana ガオ for a sharp sound and hiragana がお for a softer one.
- While ガオ represents a single roar, you might see Japanese characters for a lion or predator paired with it in manga to heighten the sense of a 'wild' personality.
Examples in context
- 向かいの保育園から、保育士だろう男の声で「ガオー、食べちゃうぞ！」というのが聞こえて来る。I hear some guy, presumably a caretaker, going "Rawr, I'm going to eat you!" from the nursery school across the street.This example shows how a caretaker might use ガオ while playing with children at a nursery school.Tatoeba #1225695 by mookeee, translation #1528003 by marshmallowcat
- ライオンは「ガオ」と鳴くよ。Lions roar with a "gao" sound.
- 恐竜の鳴き声は「ガオ」だ。Kyōryū no nakigoe wa "gao" da.The dinosaur's roar is "gao".
- ライオンが「ガオ」と鳴いた。Raion ga "gao" to naita.The lion went "gao".
Example conversation
Two children are playing together in a living room.
- 陽太 Yota僕がライオンだよ。ガオ！Boku ga raion da yo. Gao!I am the lion. Rawr!
- 陽葵 Himari怖かった！陽太くん、すごいね。Kowakatta! Yōta-kun, sugoi ne.That was scary! You're amazing, Yota.
- 陽太 Yota次は恐竜のマネをするよ。Tsugi wa kyōryū no mane o suru yo.Next, I'll imitate a dinosaur.
- 陽葵 Himariまた「ガオ」って鳴くの？Mata "gao" tte naku no?Are you going to roar "gao" again?
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
