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水族館 (すいぞくかん, suizokukan) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

水すい族ぞく館かん

also: すいぞっかん

す

い

ぞ

く

か

ん

Common word›JLPTN3›Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

1

aquarium (building)

Refers to the facility itself, not the glass tank.

週しゅう末まつに家か族ぞくで水すい族ぞく館かんに行いった。

We went to the aquarium as a family on the weekend.

この水すい族ぞく館かんには大おおきな水すい槽そうがある。

This aquarium has a large tank.

Usage patterns

水すい族ぞく館かんに行いくto go to the aquarium
今こん度どの休やすみに水すい族ぞく館かんに行いこうと思おもっている。
I'm thinking of going to the aquarium on my next day off.
水すい族ぞく館かんで〈物もの〉を見みるto see (an animal or show) at the aquarium
水すい族ぞく館かんでイルカショーを見みた。
I watched a dolphin show at the aquarium.

Kanji

水water
族tribe, family
館building, mansion, large building

Related words

動どう物ぶつ園えんN5
水族館 houses aquatic creatures like fish and dolphins, whereas 動物園 is a zoo for land animals.

Don't confuse with

水すい槽そう
水族館 is the whole aquarium facility that visitors go to, while 水槽 is just a glass tank that holds fish, even a small one at home.
動どう物ぶつ園えんN5
動物園 houses land animals in outdoor enclosures, whereas 水族館 is an aquarium for fish and sea creatures, so people sometimes confuse which one has which animals.

Counted with

所しょN2
水族館 as a facility can be counted with 所, the counter used for places such as offices, stations, and other institutions.

Word family

海かい中ちゅう水すい族ぞく館かん
underwater aquarium

Built from

水すい族ぞく+館かん

Written forms

水族館
- すいぞくかん
  Standard kanji spelling.
- すいぞっかん
  irregular kana usage
すいぞっかん
irregular kana usage
Irregular kana usage; occasionally encountered in casual speech or writing but not standard.

Etymology

Compound of 水 (water), 族 (family/tribe), and 館 (building/hall). The term was coined in the Meiji era as a translation of 'aquarium'.