シマウマ
shimauma
The Japanese word for zebra is シマウマ (shimauma).
シマウマ is the standard noun used to refer to the African animal known as a zebra.
Meaning: African animal (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is a compound consisting of シマ, meaning stripes and ウマ, meaning horse.
How does it change in a sentence?
To indicate possession or a descriptive relationship involving a zebra, you can add the particle の after the word, such as in シマウマの (zebra's or of a zebra).
How do you pronounce it?
shimauma
Did you know?
- While many exotic animals in Japanese are referred to by English loanwords using katakana, such as 'lion' or 'elephant', シマウマ is a rare case where a native Japanese compound is the standard. This makes it feel more 'Japanese' than many other zoo animals.
- The word シマ can also be written as 島, meaning 'island'. While the pronunciation is identical, a reader seeing the kanji for 'island horse' would be very confused without the context of the animal.
- Unlike English where 'zebra' is a single, distinct root, a Japanese speaker conceptually perceives the animal as a 'striped horse' every time they say the name.
Examples in context
- あれって、シマウマ？Is that a zebra?This sentence shows how to ask if an object is a シマウマ.Tatoeba #10612852 by small_snow, translation #6011538 by zumley
- シマウマの夢を見たんだ。I had a dream about a zebra.This sentence demonstrates how to use シマウマ when talking about a dream.Tatoeba #10612864 by small_snow, translation #10118077 by CK
- 動物園でシマウマを見たよ。I saw a zebra at the zoo.This sentence illustrates the use of シマウマ when mentioning seeing one at a zoo.Tatoeba #10612863 by small_snow, translation #9183164 by CK
- この本には、可愛いゼブラの絵があります。This book has cute zebra illustrations.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are looking at a picture book in a cafe.
- 蓮 Renこのシマウマ、すごく可愛いね。Kono shimauma, sugoku kawaii ne.This zebra is really cute, isn't it?
- 陽葵 Himari本当だね。模様がとても綺麗！Hontou da ne. Moyou ga totemo kirei!It really is. The pattern is so beautiful!
- 蓮 Ren陽葵は、シマウマが好き？Himari wa, shimauma ga suki?Himari, do you like zebras?
- 陽葵 Himariうん、大好きだよ！Un, daisuki da yo!Yes, I love them!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry シマウマ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
