影竜
kage ryū
The English phrase "shadow dragon" is translated into Japanese as 影竜 (kage ryū).
影竜 is used to refer to a mythical dragon that is associated with shadows or darkness.
What does it mean word for word?
The term is a compound of 影 (kage), meaning shadow and 竜 (ryū), meaning dragon.
How do you pronounce it?
kage ryū
Did you know?
- While English uses 'dragon' for both Western and Eastern types, Japanese distinguishes between the Eastern 竜 and the Western 'dragon' using the katakana word ドラゴン.
- In Japanese culture, dragons are traditionally water deities, so a 影竜 creates a striking contrast by linking a creature of water to the void of shadows.
- The character 影 is used in the term 影武者 (kagemusha), which refers to a political decoy or a double used to protect a lord from assassination.
Examples in context
- 伝説の影竜が現れた。Densetsu no kairyū ga arawareta.The legendary shadow dragon appeared.
- 影竜の鱗はとても黒い。Kairyū no uroko wa totemo kuroi.The shadow dragon's scales are very black.
- 影竜は闇の中で眠っている。Kairyū wa yami no naka de nemutte iru.The shadow dragon is sleeping in the darkness.
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing a new fantasy video game.
- 陽太 Yota新しいゲームに影竜が出てくるよ。Atarashii gēmu ni kairyū ga detekuru yo.A shadow dragon appears in the new game.
- 美咲 Misakiえっ、影竜がボスなの？E, kairyū ga bosu na no?What, is the shadow dragon the boss?
- 陽太 Yotaそうだ、とても強い影竜だよ。Sō da, totemo tsuyoi kairyū da yo.That's right, it's a very strong shadow dragon.
- 美咲 Misaki陽太君、それなら絶対勝てないよ。Yōta-kun, sore nara zettai katenai yo.Yota, you definitely won't be able to beat it.
