More animals, the parts of a plant, and what living things do.
Practise this list
From these 40 words, as many per round as you like — up to all of them: first what is due today, then new ones. First you choose, then you fill the gap, then you write it yourself. Mistakes come back again shortly.
More about this list
Beyond cats and dogs: wild animals, garden birds and insects, the parts of a plant from root to petal, and the verbs for what living things do. Two habits catch English speakers out. A mosquito does not bite in Japanese, it stings: 蚊に刺された is a mosquito bite. And plants have their own verbs for growing and dying — weeds 生える, petals 散る, a neglected plant 枯れる. In science books, at zoos and on signs animal names are usually written in katakana, キツネ or シカ; below, each word stands as it is most often written in ordinary text.
The words
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Verb (5)
枯れるto wither; to die (of a plant)VerbN3
旅行の間に水をやらなかったので、花が枯れてしまいました。I didn't water the flowers while I was away, so they died.
生えるto grow; to sprout (of plants, hair, teeth)VerbN3
雨が多かったので、庭に草がたくさん生えています。It rained a lot, so weeds have sprung up all over the garden.
Grows by itself; raising a plant is 育てる.
散るto fall; to scatter (of petals, leaves)VerbN3
強い雨で、桜がほとんど散ってしまいました。The heavy rain has brought down almost all the cherry blossom.
吠えるto bark; to roarVerbN3
隣の犬は、知らない人が来るとすぐに吠えます。The dog next door starts barking as soon as a stranger comes.
刺すto sting; to bite (of insects); to stabVerbN3
山を歩くときは、虫に刺されないように長袖を着ます。When I go walking in the hills, I wear long sleeves so I don't get bitten by insects.
Mosquitoes and bees sting rather than bite: 蚊に刺される.
Noun (35)
亀turtle; tortoiseNounN3
亀はゆっくり歩きますが、思ったより長生きします。Tortoises walk slowly, but they live longer than you might think.
Covers turtles and tortoises alike; a sea turtle is ウミガメ.
鶏chicken (the bird)NounN3
祖母の家の鶏は、毎朝卵を産みます。The chickens at my grandmother's house lay eggs every morning.
The live bird; the meat is 鶏肉.
きつねfoxNounN3
山道で車の前をきつねが横切りました。A fox crossed in front of the car on the mountain road.
Usually written in kana, きつね or キツネ; きつねうどん is udon with fried tofu.
鹿deerNounN3
公園の鹿にお菓子をあげないでください。Please do not feed snacks to the deer in the park.
虎tigerNounN3
動物園の虎は、昼間はずっと寝ていました。The tiger at the zoo slept right through the day.
鯨whaleNounN3
船から大きな鯨が見えて、みんな声を上げました。A huge whale came into view from the boat, and everyone cried out.
蝶butterflyNounN3
花壇の花に白い蝶が止まっています。A white butterfly has settled on a flower in the flower bed.
Children say ちょうちょ.
蜂bee; waspNounN3
庭で草を取っていたら、蜂に刺されました。I was stung by a bee while I was weeding the garden.
Covers bees and wasps alike; a honeybee is ミツバチ.
ねずみmouse; ratNounN3
夜中に台所でねずみが走る音がしました。In the middle of the night I heard a mouse running about in the kitchen.
One word for mice and rats; also written ネズミ.
金魚goldfishNounN3
夏祭りですくった金魚が、もう三年も生きています。The goldfish I scooped up at the summer festival has now been alive for three years.
鳩pigeon; doveNounN3
駅前の広場には、いつも鳩がたくさんいます。There are always lots of pigeons in the square in front of the station.
梅Japanese apricot; plum treeNounN3
梅の花は、桜よりずっと早く咲きます。Plum blossom comes out well before cherry blossom.
The sour fruit is pickled as 梅干し.
松pine (tree)NounN3
海岸に沿って松の木が並んでいます。Pine trees stand in a row along the coast.
紅葉autumn colours; leaves turning redNounN3
今年は暖かい日が続いて、紅葉が遅れています。There have been so many warm days this year that the leaves are late to turn.
Also read もみじ, which is also the Japanese maple itself.
芝生lawn; grassNounN3
天気がいいので、公園の芝生の上でお弁当を食べました。The weather was nice, so we ate our packed lunches on the grass in the park.
根rootNounN3
この木は根が深いので、強い風でも倒れません。This tree has deep roots, so it does not fall even in strong winds.
Also figurative: 根は優しい, kind at heart.
芽bud; sprout; shootNounN3
春になって、枝に小さな芽が出てきました。Spring has come, and small buds have appeared on the branches.
実fruit; berry; nut (on a plant)NounN3
庭の木に赤い実がたくさんなりました。The tree in the garden is covered in red berries.
What a plant bears; fruit as food is 果物.
花びらpetalNounN3
風が吹くと、桜の花びらが雪のように舞いました。When the wind blew, the cherry petals whirled down like snow.
つぼみflower budNounN3
バラのつぼみが膨らんできたので、来週には咲きそうです。The rosebuds are swelling, so they look set to open next week.
A bud that will become a flower; 芽 is any new shoot.
落ち葉fallen leavesNounN3
秋になると、毎朝家の前の落ち葉を掃きます。In autumn I sweep up the fallen leaves in front of the house every morning.
植木鉢flowerpot; plant potNounN3
ベランダの植木鉢で、トマトを育てています。I'm growing tomatoes in a pot on the balcony.
花壇flower bedNounN3
学校の花壇の世話は、三年生の当番です。Looking after the school flower beds is the third-years' job.
雑草weedsNounN3
夏は雑草がすぐ伸びるので、毎週抜かなければなりません。In summer the weeds shoot up quickly, so they have to be pulled out every week.
餌feed; animal food; baitNounN3
出かける前に、猫に餌をやるのを忘れないでね。Don't forget to feed the cat before you go out.
Given with やる or あげる; often written エサ.
巣nest; hive; webNounN3
家の屋根の下にツバメが巣を作りました。Swallows have built a nest under the eaves of our house.
群れflock; herd; shoal; groupNounN3
空を鳥の群れが南へ飛んでいきました。A flock of birds flew off south across the sky.
鳴き声cry; call; song (of an animal)NounN3
朝早く、窓の外から鳥の鳴き声が聞こえました。Early in the morning I heard birds singing outside the window.
毛hair; furNounN3
この犬は毛が長いので、毎日ブラシをかけています。This dog has long fur, so I brush it every day.
Body hair and fur; the hair on your head is 髪.
翼wingNounN3
大きな鳥が翼を広げて、ゆっくり飛んでいます。A large bird is flying slowly with its wings spread.
羽 can be a wing or a single feather.
茎stem; stalkNounN3
茎を少し切ってから花瓶に入れると、花が長持ちします。If you trim the stems a little before putting them in the vase, the flowers last longer.
昆虫insectNounN3
弟は昆虫が好きで、夏休みは毎日虫を探していました。My little brother loves insects and spent every day of the summer holidays hunting for bugs.
The scientific word; in conversation people say 虫.
牧場livestock farm; ranch; pastureNounN3
牧場では、牛や馬がのんびり草を食べていました。At the farm, cows and horses were grazing peacefully.
雄male (animal)NounN3
この子猫は雄ですか、それとも雌ですか。Is this kitten a male or a female?
For animals only; often written オス.
雌female (animal)NounN3
ライオンの群れでは、主に雌が狩りをします。In a pride of lions, it is mainly the females that hunt.
