ライオン
らいおん
noun
lion
1.
lion
A large wild cat native to Africa, known as the 'king of beasts.'
ライオンは百獣の王だ。
The lion is the king of beasts.
動物園でライオンを見た。
I saw lions at the zoo.
ライオンが吠えている。
The lion is roaring.
ライオン is a loanword from English "lion." In Japanese, as in English, the lion is known as 百獣の王 (king of beasts).
RELATED TERMS:
- 雄ライオン: male lion
- 雌ライオン: female lion (lioness)
- たてがみ: mane
- 群れ: pride (group of lions)
- 子ライオン: lion cub
KANJI EQUIVALENT:
獅子 is the traditional kanji word for lion, but it is literary and mainly seen in idioms and proper nouns:
- 獅子舞: lion dance (traditional New Year performance)
- 獅子奮迅: fighting with great vigor
NOTE:
In everyday speech, ライオン is the standard word. 獅子 sounds old-fashioned on its own.