Japanese Conversation · Level 81
60 words
Japanese word
亀
Pronunciation
Romajikame
Meaning
- nounturtle
Example
子どもたちは亀を見ています。ko do mo ta chi wa kame o mi te i ma su
The children are watching a turtle.
More examples
その池には亀がいます。so no ike ni wa kame ga i ma su
There is a turtle in that pond.
Core concept
Refers to a shelled reptile, with the Japanese word covering both water-dwelling turtles and land-dwelling tortoises.
Common phrases
亀を飼うkame o ka u
keep a turtle
亀に餌をやるkame ni esa o ya ru
feed a turtle
亀を見るkame o mi ru
see a turtle
Definition in Japanese
硬い甲羅で体を覆われた爬虫類の総称。kata i kō ra de karada o ō wa re ta ha chū rui no sō shō
Word origin
The native Japanese word 亀 (kame, "turtle") has no certain older etymology, while the kanji 亀 was adopted from Chinese writing for the same animal.
Usage tips
- In American English, turtle can include land-dwelling tortoises, while British English more often uses tortoise for land species and turtle for sea species.
Other meanings
- tortoisenoun