象(ぞう)

ぞう

noun

elephant

1. elephant

A large mammal with a long trunk, large ears, and tusks, native to Africa and Asia.

動物園(どうぶつえん)で象(ぞう)を見(み)た。

I saw an elephant at the zoo.

象(ぞう)は記憶力(きおくりょく)がいいと言(い)われている。

Elephants are said to have good memory.

象(ぞう)の鼻(はな)は長(なが)い。

An elephant's trunk is long.

子供(こども)たちは象(ぞう)に乗(の)って大喜(おおよろこ)びだった。

The children were overjoyed to ride on the elephant.

アフリカの象(ぞう)は耳(みみ)が大(おお)きくて、アジアの象(ぞう)は耳(みみ)が小(ちい)さい。

African elephants have big ears, while Asian elephants have small ears.

Counter

象(ぞう)は頭(とう)で数(かぞ)える。(Elephants are counted with 頭.)

一(いっ)頭(とう) (one elephant)
二(に)頭(とう) (two elephants)

Common collocations

象(ぞう)の鼻(はな) (elephant's trunk)
象(ぞう)の牙(きば) (elephant's tusk)
象(ぞう)の群(む)れ (herd of elephants)
象(ぞう)に乗(の)る (to ride an elephant)
象(ぞう)使(つか)い (elephant trainer)

Memory

象(ぞう)は記憶力(きおくりょく)がいい (elephants have good memory) is a common observation in Japanese, as it is in English. The phrase 象(ぞう)の様(よう)な記憶力(きおくりょく) is understood as a rendering of the English "a memory like an elephant", but it is not a fixed Japanese idiom.

basic

Added 2026.1.12 10:14 · Revised 2026.9.2 14:41

03000/03328_zou