Japanese word

図鑑

Pronunciation

Romajizukan

Meaning

  • nounillustrated reference book

Example

この図鑑で鳥を調べます。ko no zu kan de tori o shira be ma su

I look up birds in this illustrated reference book.

Illustration for 図鑑 (illustrated reference book)

More examples

図書館で昆虫の図鑑を借りました。to sho kan de kon chū no zu kan o ka ri ma shi ta

I borrowed an insect field guide from the library.

Core concept

Refers to an illustrated reference book arranged to make the features and names of things easy to find and compare.

Common phrases

  • 図鑑で調べるzu kan de shira be ru

    look up in an illustrated reference book

  • 図鑑を借りるzu kan o ka ri ru

    borrow an illustrated reference book

  • 図鑑を眺めるzu kan o naga me ru

    look through an illustrated reference book

Similar words

図譜zufu: An illustrated reference book that presents images and information about a specialized subject.

Definition in Japanese

生物や物品などを図や写真とともに分類して載せ、名前や特徴を調べるための本。sei butsu ya bup pin na do o zu ya sha shin to to mo ni bun rui shi te no se na mae ya toku chō o shira be ru ta me no hon

Word origin

図 (zu, "picture") and 鑑 (kan, "reference") combine in 図鑑 (zukan) to mean a reference book organized around pictures and identifying information.

Usage tips

  • A 図鑑 (zukan) can focus on a narrow subject such as birds or trains, so its scope is often more specialized than that of a general encyclopedia.

Other meanings

  • field guidenoun

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