English to Japanese Animal Names

Animal words feature prominently in the Japanese language. To help cover this important topic, here is our English to Japanese listing of animal names. The entries contain a variety of written versions including translations in English, Romaji, Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji.

Below the main list of Japanese animal names, you will find a section that lists a few animals found in Japanese folklore including Kawauso (the Japanese River Otter), Kitsune (the Japanese Fox), and Tanuki (the Japanese Raccoon Dog). Scroll down to learn all this and more!

Animal Names from English to Japanese:

Words in bold added during the last update. You can also view this list of animal names from Japanese to English.

General Animal Words from English to Japanese

Animal Names from English to Japanese

English to Japanese Animal-Related Sentences:

Japanese Animals in Folklore:

Japanese folklore is filled with many kinds of interesting animal stories. Below are a few such animals that feature very prominently in folklore found across several regions in Japan.

Kawauso, the Japanese River Otter

In Japanese folklore, Kawauso are Japanese river otters who into their old age, develop certain magical powers. These magical powers include (but are not limited to) the ability to transform into various human beings, with an uncanny ability to mimic human sounds in order to play tricks on them. Some Kawauso will even transform into seductive young women to play tricks on unsuspecting young men.

Kitsune, the Japanese Fox

In Japanese folklore, Kitsune are considered to be long-lived foxes with magical powers (like shapeshifting) that appear at a certain age and level of wisdom and grow stronger as the fox matures. Kitsune are often described with having up to nine tails, with higher tail numbers reserved for older, more powerful foxes. Kitsune are generally divided into two groups - yako (the "field foxes") are mischievous and even sometimes malicious and zenko (the "good foxes") who are benevolent creatures.

Tanuki, the Japanese Raccoon Dog

Tanuki in Japanese folklore are believed to be masters of disguise who can shapeshift into almost anything, including humans. Further yet, by some accounts, Tanuki can even possess humans if they so choose. They are generally considered mischievous, but joyful creatures, while sometimes a bit on the absent-minded side. Tanuki sometimes enjoy living as transformed humans for extended periods of time and may even live a near lifetime's worth as a transformed human.

*English to Japanese animals updated: January 26, 2025.

Next Up

Japanese Colors: Learn how to say color words in Japanese.

Perhaps you want to learn animal words in these other languages?

French, German, Hawaiian, Japanese, Malay, Mandarin, Russian, and Spanish.

The Fine Print