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Animal Names in Japanese Trivia Quiz

This should be an easy quiz if you have even a basic knowledge of Japanese. I will give you the name of an animal in English, and you choose the correct Japanese translation.

A multiple-choice quiz by dogz_14. Estimated time: 3 mins.

Author
dogz_14

Time
3 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
102,264

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
2077

Last 3 plays: Guest 95 (9/10), Guest 84 (4/10), Guest 212 (10/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. What is 'elephant' in Japanese? Hint

kame

sakana

oni

zou

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. How do you say 'giraffe'? Hint

kirin

ari

usagi

yagi

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. How do you say 'horse'? Hint

ushi

hebi

shika

uma

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. How about 'dolphin' in Japanese? Hint

iruka

shachi

umi

none of the above

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. How do you say 'frog'? Hint

ishi

none of these

tokage

buta

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. How would you say 'deer'? Hint

shika

usagi

shitsuji

himawari

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. How about the word for 'swan'? Hint

hakuchou

niwatori

tsuru

none of the above

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. How do you say 'shark'? Hint

none of the above

iruka

same

kaki

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. How would you say 'bird' (any type)? Hint

wana

mame

awa

none of the above

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. This is the last question, so good luck! What do you call a 'crab' in Japanese? Hint

tori

gokiburi

shimauma

kani

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Most Recent Scores

Oct 06 2025 : Guest 95: 9/10
Sep 24 2025 : Guest 84: 4/10
Sep 17 2025 : Guest 212: 10/10
Sep 07 2025 : Meow-Mixer: 6/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. What is 'elephant' in Japanese?

Answer: zou

'Zou' is an elephant, 'kame' is a turtle, and 'sakana' is a fish. 'Oni' is an ogre, which is not a word commonly used, but you should know this if you've read at least some of the more famous Japanese folktales, like 'Momotaro' (the Peach-boy).

2. How do you say 'giraffe'?

Answer: kirin

This might not be as easy as the first question, since there are no giraffes in Japan and there is no need to really learn the word. As for the other choices, 'usagi' means rabbit, 'ari' means ant, and 'yagi' means goat.

3. How do you say 'horse'?

Answer: uma

You might have heard it the other way, saying '-ba' stuck onto another word (e.g. 'jou-ba', which means horseback riding). For the other ones, 'ushi' is a cow (do NOT confuse this with 'sushi'!), 'shika' is the word for deer, and 'hebi' is the word for snake.

4. How about 'dolphin' in Japanese?

Answer: iruka

For those who love marine life, this should be an easy question. 'iruka' is, of course, the correct answer to this question. 'Umi' is the word for sea, and 'shachi' is a killer whale.

5. How do you say 'frog'?

Answer: none of these

The correct word for frog, 'kaeru', is not one of the choices, meaning the correct answer to this question would be 'none of these'. As for the other choices, 'ishi' means stone or rock, 'tokage' is a lizard, and 'buta' is a pig.

6. How would you say 'deer'?

Answer: shika

If you didn't recognise this before, this word was one of the false options in Question 3. Of the other options, 'shitsuji' is sheep, 'usagi' means rabbit, and 'himawari' is a sunflower (a bit of a trick, since this is not even an animal).

7. How about the word for 'swan'?

Answer: hakuchou

A swan is 'hakuchou', from 'haku' (white) + 'chou' (bird). 'Tsuru' is the word for crane, and 'niwatori' is a chicken.

8. How do you say 'shark'?

Answer: same

The final e in 'same' is pronounced like the e in 'error'. 'Iruka' is a word that was mentioned above, in question 4, and 'kaki' is the word for oyster.

9. How would you say 'bird' (any type)?

Answer: none of the above

The correct word for a bird is 'tori' (as in 'niwatori'). The others, 'wana' (trap), 'awa' (bubbles), and 'mame' (beans) are all incorrect.

10. This is the last question, so good luck! What do you call a 'crab' in Japanese?

Answer: kani

If you knew the answer to Question 9, one of the choices would be eliminated. 'Tori' is the correct word for bird, and therefore not the answer to this question. As for the other two choices, 'shimauma' (from 'shima' (stripe) + 'uma' (horse)) is a zebra, and 'gokiburi' is a cockroach.

Source: Author dogz_14

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor thejazzkickazz before going online.
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