セイウチ
seiuchi
The Japanese word for walrus is セイウチ (seiuchi).
セイウチ is the noun used to refer to the large Arctic marine mammal.
Meaning: large Arctic marine mammal (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is seiuchi.
Did you know?
- The kanji for セイウチ are 海象, where 海 means 'sea' and 象 means 'elephant'. This reflects the ancient Japanese perception of the walrus as a 'sea elephant'.
- In Japanese, the term for a walrus's tusk, キバ, is a general word for fangs or tusks that is not used for human teeth, even though the animal is a mammal.
- The word セイウチ is almost exclusively written in katakana, even though it has kanji roots, because it is treated as a biological species name.
Examples in context
- セイウチは大きな牙を持っています。Seiuchi wa ookina kiba o motte imasu.The walrus has large tusks.
- 水族館でセイウチを見ました。Suizokukan de seiuchi o mimashita.I saw a walrus at the aquarium.
- セイウチは北極に住んでいます。Seiuchi wa hokkyoku ni sunde imasu.Walruses live in the Arctic.
Example conversation
Two friends are looking at a nature documentary together.
- 結衣 Yuiあのセイウチ、すごく大きいね！Ano seiuchi, sugoku ookii ne!That walrus is really huge!
- 大翔 Hiroto本当だ。牙が長いね。Hontou da. Kiba ga nagai ne.You're right. Its tusks are long.
- 結衣 Yuiセイウチの動きは面白いね。Seiuchi no ugoki wa omoshiroi ne.The way the walrus moves is interesting.
- 大翔 Hirotoそうだね、ずっと見ていられるよ。Sou da ne, zutto mite irareru yo.Yeah, I could watch it forever.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry セイウチ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
