Japanese word of the day: 動物 (Doubutsu)

What does 動物 (Doubutsu) mean?

動物 (noun) — Animal, “moving thing”.

Kanji details for 動 and 物

Character: 動 — move, motion, change, confusion, shift, shake
Radical: power, force 力

Character: 物 — thing, object, matter
Radical: cow 牛 (牜)

Example sentences with 動物 (Doubutsu)

• この動物はとても頭がいい。

  (Kono doubutsu wa totemo atama ga ii.)
  🐬 This animal is very intelligent.

• 動物を守らなければなりません。
  (Doubutsu o mamoranakereba narimasen.)
  🦊 We must protect animals.

• 多くの動物がこの森に住んでいます。
  (Ooku no doubutsu ga kono mori ni sunde imasu.)
  Many animals live in this forest.

動物 (Doubutsu) in context

動物 (doubutsu) is the Japanese word for "animal," literally combining the kanji 動 (dou, "moving") and 物 (butsu, "thing"). IThe word appears in numerous compound terms and place names, such as 動物公園 (doubutsu kouen) meaning "zoo", which you can see in the name of Tobu Zoo (東武動物公園, Tōbu dōbutsu kōen) in Saitama Prefecture. Other compounds include 野生動物 (yasei doubutsu) meaning "wildlife", 社会的動物 (shakaiteki doubutsu) meaning "social animal", and terms related to animal studies. Japanese categorizes animals in various ways, with specific vocabulary for pets, farm animals, and wild creatures, all falling under the broader category of 動物 (doubutsu).