What does “iruka” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “iruka” to mean ‘dolphin’ in Japanese. Probably, many Japanese learners know this word because it is often used in Japanese movies, songs, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “iruka” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meaning of “iruka”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “iruka”.
- iruka – 海豚 (いるか) : a noun meaning ‘dolphin’ in Japanese. This can also work as a plural noun. Learn more about Japanese plural.
The definition and meaning are very simple and clear, I think. To understand this word more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.
“Iruka” in kanji
The kanji expression of “iruka” consists of the following two characters:
- 海 : a kanji character used to mean ‘sea’ or ‘ocean’ in Japanese.
- 豚 : a kanji character used to mean ‘pig’ in Japanese.
From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “iruka” literally means ‘a sea pig’ in Japanese. Perhaps, this kanji concept sounds weird to Japanese learners, but I like it. Dolphins and pigs are mammals. And dolphins live in the sea. So, the kanji expression is not so far away from what dolphins really are. Or rather it is a good invention based on observations, I think. Unfortunately, however, native speakers rarely use this kanji expression because they normally use katakana for animals.
When we meet new kanji expressions, we should check their kanji characters in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji characters tell us a lot about meanings of words they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “iruka” through the detailed kanji check above. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “dolphin” in Japanese
watashi wa kinou iruka wo mi ta – 私は昨日海豚を見た (わたしはきのういるかをみた)
I saw a dolphin yesterday.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- wa – は : a bindning particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “watashi” to make the subject word in the sentence.
- kinou – 昨日 (きのう) : a noun meaning ‘yesterday’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb to say “yesterday” in Japanese.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this works after “iruka” to make the object word in the sentence.
- mi – 見 (み) : one conjugation of the verb, “miru”, which means ‘to see’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. In the example, this works after “mi” to make its past tense form, “mi ta”.
This is a typical usage of “iruka”. When we want to say “dolphin” in Japanese, this noun would be the best choice.
Example #2: another usage of “iruka”
iruka wa kujira yori chiisai – 海豚は鯨より小さい (いるかはくじらよりちいさい)
Dolphins are smaller than whales.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kujira – 鯨 (くじら) : a noun meaning ‘whale’ in Japanese. This can also work as a plural noun.
- yori – より : a case particle used after a noun to indicate a target of comparison. In the example, this works after “kujira” which are compared to “iruka”.
- chiisai – 小さい (ちいさい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘small’ in Japanese.
This is another typical usage of “iruka”. In the example, it works as a plural noun to say “dolphins”. In Japanese, there is no clear border between singular nouns and plural. So, it can work in both ways.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “iruka” and its kanji expression in detail. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- iruka – 海豚 (いるか) : a noun meaning ‘dolphin’ in Japanese. This can also work as a plural noun. These two kanji characters mean ‘sea’ and ‘pig’ respectively, so this noun literally means ‘a sea pig’ in Japanese. This kanji concept is not so far away from what dolphins really are, I think. Dolphins and pigs are mammals. And dolphins live in the sea.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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