զեբր
zebr/ˈzebəɾ/
The English word 'zebra' is զեբր in Armenian. Wiktionary also lists վագրաձի (vagraji).
Meaning: African animal (noun)
Ways to say it
| Armenian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| զեբր | zebr | /ˈzebəɾ/ (Eastern Armenian) | |
| վագրաձի | vagraji | /vɑɡɾɑˈd͡zi/ (Eastern Armenian) /vɑkɾɑˈt͡si/ (Western Armenian) |
rare |
The word refers to the African animal.
Which one should you use?
զեբր is the standard modern word, whereas վագրաձի is a rare or specialized term for the animal.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form զեբր is used in the accusative case when the zebra is the direct object of a verb, such as 'to see'. You can make the word definite by adding the suffix –ին to զեբր to create զեբրին, which means 'the zebra'.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is zebr. The IPA is /ˈzebəɾ/. The /z/ sound is like the [z] in zoo, the /b/ sound is like the [b] in bee and the /ə/ sound is like the [a] in again. In each comparison the English letters in brackets make the sound.
Did you know?
- While զեբր is a modern loanword, the traditional term վագրաձի is a compound of the word վագր meaning 'tiger' and ձի meaning 'horse'.
- The modern word զեբր traveled a long linguistic path from Portuguese through Russian before reaching Armenian.
- Because zebras are not native to the Caucasus, Armenian developed two distinct ways to name them: one based on sound and one based on appearance.
Examples in context
- Դու երբևէ տեսե՞լ ես զեբրա։Have you ever seen a zebra?This sentence is useful for asking if someone has seen a զեբր.Tatoeba #13510802 by Proxima5, translation #12279043 by CK
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mariam and Tigran are visiting a zoo.
- Մարիամ MariamՏիգրան, նայիր, ահիլ զեբրն է:Tigran, nayir, ahil zebrn e:Tigran, look, that's the zebra!
- Տիգրան TigranԻհարկե, շատ հետաքրքիր կենդանի է:Iharke, shat hetakrkir kendani e:Of course, it is a very interesting animal.
- Մարիամ MariamԶեբրը շատ արագ է վազում:Zebrë shat arag e vazum:The zebra runs very fast.
- Տիգրան TigranԱյո, իսկապես տպավորիչ է:Ayo, iskapes tpavorich e:Yes, it is truly impressive.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “zebra” translations and entries զեբր, վագրաձի, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries զեբր, վագրաձի, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
