What life is like around the world… but mostly Japan

LWIF EP26: Do Animals Sound More Realistic in Japanese or English?

December 2, 2015

I noticed that the sound that animals made were different in Japanese and English. Which animals do you think sound more realistic in Japanese vs. English? Here are the names of animals and the sounds they make, in Japanese and in English.

Pig (ブタ) | oink | ブーブー (buu buu)
Elephant (ゾウ) | trumpet (barag?) | パオーンパオーン (paon paon)
Cat (ネコ) | meow | ニャーニャー | (nyaa nyaa)
Dog (イヌ) | bark | ワンワン (wan wan)
Monkey (サル) | grunt/squeak (ooh ooh aah aah) | ウキーキー (uki kii)
Rooster (オンドリ) | cock-a-doodle-doo | コケコッコー (kokekokko)
Cow (ウシ) | moo | モーモー (moo moo)
Horse (ウマ) | neigh | ヒヒーン (hihiin)
Bear (クマ) | roar | ガオー (gaoo) Owl (フクロウ) | hoot | ほーほー (hoo hoo)

If you’re interested in learning more Japanese onomatopoeia (words that represent sounds), Tofugu has a handy guide. If you look at that link, you’ll see that the Japanese language has a ton of onomatopoeia. What do animals sound like where you’re from?

Comments

10 responses to “LWIF EP26: Do Animals Sound More Realistic in Japanese or English?”

December 2, 2015

Jakub

I’ m from Poland and our onomatopoeias are funny too.
In Polish we have got our name for onomatopoeias. They are called “wyrazy dźwiękonaśladowcze”
pig (świnia) – chrum chrum (hroom hroom) /English/
dog (pies) – hau hau (xaw) /IPA/
cat (kot) – miau miau (mʲjaw) /IPA/
rooster (kogut) – kukuryku (ˌkukuˈrɨku) /IPA/
cuckoo (kukułka) – ku ku (koo koo) /English/
owl (sowa) – hu hu (hoo hoo) /English/
bee or housefly (pszczoła lub mucha) – bzz bzz /it sound the same in English/
goat (koza) – mee mee (mɛ mɛ) /IPA/
goose (gęś) – gę gę (ɟjɛɛ̃w̃) /IPA/
I use IPA to write words that are hard in pronounciation, but when it was possible I tried to write them using English. If you want to hear how those words sound perfectly in Polish you should try IVONA https://www.ivona.com/.
Jakub
1. December 3, 2015
  
  lifewhereimfrom
  
  Hey Jakub! Thanks for putting together all the Polish wyrazy dźwiękonaśladowcze!
2. February 11, 2016
  
  Fransisca
  
  Hey Jakub! I’m not sure how the sound should be pronounce but by reading (in english) it. I think its quiet similar to Indonesian animal sound. lols
  1. February 19, 2016
    
    Jakub
    
    I used standard phonetic alphabet (IPA). You can just use this website https://www.ivona.com/ and choose Polish voice.
December 6, 2015

Sofia

I live in the U.S but my dad is Mexican so I know some of the animal sounds.
rooster: kikiriki
dog: guau guau
cat: miau
1. December 9, 2015
  
  lifewhereimfrom
  
  The rooster and cat sound close to English, but the dog sounds a bit different. Thanks for sharing!
December 7, 2015

SEA monster

And that’s how it goes in the Czech Republic.

Duck: kvak kvak
Chicken: kokokodák
Rooster: kykyryký
Dog: haf haf
Cat: mňau mňau
Cow: bůůů
Donkey: hýha hýha
Goat: me-eeeee
Crow: krá krá
Pig: chro chro

Regards
1. December 9, 2015
  
  lifewhereimfrom
  
  Thanks SEA monster. I’ll have to put some of these into the translator to hear what they sound like. Interested in that pig sound “chro chro”.
March 23, 2016

Jana

German animal sounds!

Pig (das Schwein)| grunzen (to grunt)| oink oink or ruff ruff
Elephant (der Elefant) | trompeten (to trumpet)| töröööö
Cat (die Katze) | miauen or schnurren (to purr) | miau
Dog (der Hund) | bellen (to bark) | wau wau or wuff wuff
Monkey (der Affe) | kreischen (to yell or scream) | uuk uuk iiik iiik
Rooster (der Hahn) | krähen (to crow) | kikerikiiii
Chicken (das Huhn) | gackern (to cluck) | bock bock bock or gack gack gack
Cow (die Kuh) | muhen (to moo) | muuuh
Horse (das Pferd) | wiehern (to neigh) | no onomatopoeia
Bear (der Bär) | brüllen (to roar) | no onomatopoeia
Owl (die Eule) | schreien (to yell, is what German biologists say that owls do, i.e. hoot) | schuhuh
Duck (die Ente) | schnattern (to quack) | quak quak
Sheep (das Schaf) | blöken (to bleat) | määäh määäh or bäääh bäääh
Dove/pidgeon (die Taube) | gurren (to coo) | ruckedigu, ruckedigu (this is what the doves say in Cinderella – ruckedigu, ruckedigu, Blut ist im Schuh (there’s blood in the shoe))
Goat (die Ziege) | meckern (to bleat) | meck meck
October 19, 2019

EK

In Finnish, the sounds are very similar to other European ones:

Dog: hau hau (woof)
Cat: miau miau (meow)
Horse: ihahaa (neigh) / we also call Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh “Ihaa”, even though he’s a donkey
Pig: röh röh (oink)
Sheep: mää mää (baa)
Bear: mur mur (growl)
Elephant: tööt (toot)
Rooster: kukkokiekuu (cock-a-doodle-doo) / literally translates into “a rooster crows”
Chicken: kot kot (cluck)
Duck: kvaak kvaak, or vaak vaak (quack) / shared with the crow
Cow: ammuu, or muu (moo)
Owl: huu huu (hoot) / “huu” is also a comical way to mimic a ghost
Dove: kruu kruu (coo)