亀
kame[ka̠me̞]
The English word tortoise is translated into Japanese as 亀 (kame) or 陸亀.
Meaning: land-dwelling reptile (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 亀 | kame | [ka̠me̞] (narrow) |
| 陸亀 | rikugame | [ɾʲikɯ̟ɡa̠me̞] (narrow) |
亀 is a general term used for both turtles and tortoises. The term 陸亀 is used specifically to distinguish a land-dwelling tortoise from aquatic turtles.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 陸亀 is composed of 陸 (land) and 亀 (tortoise/turtle).
Which one should you use?
亀 is a general term used for both turtles and tortoises, whereas 陸亀 is used specifically to distinguish a land-dwelling tortoise from aquatic turtles.
How do you pronounce it?
kame
Did you know?
- The character for 亀 is used in the name of the fictional martial arts master Master Roshi in Dragon Ball, whose school is the 亀仙人 or 'Turtle Hermit' school.
- In Japanese folklore, the 亀 is often depicted as a symbol of longevity and is said to live for ten thousand years.
- The word 亀 is written with a kanji that originated from a pictograph of a tortoise shell.
Examples in context
- 遠くからは、その小さな島は亀のように見えた。The small island looked like a tortoise from a distance.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use the form 亀 in a comparison.Tatoeba #188709 by small_snow, translation #25855 by AlanF_US
- この亀はとても大きいです。Kono kame wa totemo ookii desu.This tortoise is very large.
- 庭に小さな亀がいました。Niwa ni chiisana kame ga imashita.There was a small tortoise in the garden.
Example conversation
A boy and a girl are looking at a nature documentary on television.
- 陽太 Yotaあの亀は、とてもゆっくり歩いていますね。Ano kame wa, totemo yukkuri aruite imasu ne.That tortoise is walking very slowly, isn't it?
- 美咲 Misaki本当ですね。陽太君、可愛いね。Hontou desu ne. Youta-kun, kawaii ne.That's true. It's cute, Youta.
- 陽太 Yota僕も亀を飼ってみたいです。Boku mo kame o katte mitai desu.I want to try keeping a tortoise too.
- 美咲 Misakiでも、世話は大変ですよ。Demo, sewa wa taihen desu yo.But taking care of it is hard.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “tortoise” translations and entries 亀, 陸亀, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
