Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.

Words Kanji Guides About

鯨 (くじら) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

鯨くじら

く

じ

ら

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

1

noun

usually written using kana alone

General term for whales (Cetacea). Often written in kana in everyday use.

クジラは海うみの哺ほ乳にゅう類るいです。
Whales are marine mammals.
昔むかし、日本にほんでは鯨くじらをよく食たべ

て

い

まし

た

。

In the past, whale was commonly eaten in Japan.

Written forms

鯨くじらUsage39%
Standard kanji form; high priority.
クジラUsage55%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling used in biological contexts or for emphasis.
くじらUsage5%
Kana spelling is common and as usually written in kana.

Kanji

鯨whale

Similar words

イルカ
イルカ refers specifically to dolphins, which are smaller toothed whales, while 鯨 generally refers to larger whales.

Etymology

Native Japanese word. The kanji 鯨 is a phono-semantic compound with 魚 (fish) and 京 (capital), possibly from an old Chinese name for a large sea creature.