noun
giraffe
Standard modern word for the animal; almost always written in katakana.
動物園でキリンを見た。
I saw a giraffe at the zoo.
noun
qilin; Chinese unicorn
Mythical auspicious creature in Chinese and Japanese legend; often depicted with dragon-like features. The kanji 麒麟 is typical for this sense.
麒麟は伝説上の生き物で、平和の象徴とされる。
The qilin is a legendary creature and is considered a symbol of peace.
noun
Only when written 騏驎
Archaic meaning: a horse that can travel 1000 ri in a day. Restricted to the rare kanji form 騏驎.
古書に「騏驎」とあり、一日に千里を走る馬を指す。
In old texts, 騏驎 refers to a horse that runs a thousand ri in a day.