ゾンビ
zonbi[d͡zõ̞mbʲi]
The English word 'zombie' is translated into Japanese as ゾンビ (zonbi).
ゾンビ refers to the undead. If you want to refer to a zombie with a level of personification or respect, you can add the honorific suffix to create ゾンビさん, which means 'Mr./Ms. Zombie'.
Meaning: the undead (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
zonbi
Did you know?
- In Japan, ゾンビ is often used as a metaphor for 'zombie companies', which are firms that are technically bankrupt but kept alive by government subsidies or low-interest loans.
- Japanese pop culture has created a distinct subgenre of 'cute' zombies, where ゾンビ characters are depicted as clumsy or endearing rather than purely terrifying.
- In Japanese internet slang, ゾンビ describes a user who returns to a forum or social media site after a long period of inactivity, as if they have risen from the grave.
Examples in context
- ゾンビに噛まれた。I was bitten by a zombie.This sentence is useful for describing being bitten by a ゾンビ.Tatoeba #12072979 by small_snow, translation #10640099 by felidad
- ゾンビものと吸血鬼もの、どっちを観るかなあ。I wonder which one I'll watch, the zombie one or the vampire one.This sentence is useful for expressing a choice between watching zombie or vampire media using ゾンビ.Tatoeba #11018165 by bunbuku, translation #12005444 by Winter
- 夫の死後私はゾンビのようにふらふら歩き回っていた。After my husband's death I walked around like a zombie.This sentence is useful for using ゾンビ as a simile to describe a wandering state.Tatoeba #85005 by mookeee, translation #318708 by Dejo
- 怖いゾンビさんScary Mr./Ms. Zombie
- 映画で見たゾンビThe zombie I saw in the movie
- ゾンビ映画Zombie movie
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing a new video game.
- 美咲 Misakiこのゲームには、たくさんのゾンビが出るよ。Kono gēmu ni wa, takusan no zonbi ga deru yo.A lot of zombies appear in this game.
- 大翔 Hirotoゾンビを倒すのは、すごく大変そうだね。Zonbi o taosu no wa, sugoku taihen sō da ne.Defeating zombies looks really tough, doesn't it?
- 美咲 Misakiうん、でもゾンビを撃つのは楽しいよ。Un, demo zonbi o utsu no wa tanoshī yo.Yeah, but shooting zombies is fun.
- 大翔 Hiroto美咲、それなら今度一緒にやってみたいよ。Misaki, sore nara kondo issho ni yatte mitai yo.Misaki, in that case, I want to try playing it with you next time.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “zombie” translations and entries ゾンビ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
