1.
lion
A large wild cat native to Africa, known as the 'king of beasts.'
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 words
SIMILAR WORDS (獅子):
獅子 is the traditional kanji word for lion, but it is literary and mainly seen in idioms and proper nouns:
Usage
In everyday speech, ライオン is the standard word. 獅子 sounds old-fashioned on its own.
Related Words
Synonym:
獅子 (literary/traditional)
Related:
動物 (animal)
Related:
群れ (pride)
Related:
たてがみ (mane)
Compare:
獅子舞 (lion dance)