You call a gorilla ゴリラ (gorira) in Japanese. The word uses katakana and sounds almost identical to the English name.
ゴリラ (gorira) is the Japanese word for gorilla and is written in katakana.
Curious about how the word looks, how to say it, or where it pops up in Japanese books, signs, or pop culture?
Let’s walk through some simple examples and a few cultural notes.
You’ll also see how gorillas appear in Japanese media and language use.
That way, you can spot the word and get the context next time you run into it.
The Japanese Name for Gorilla: ゴリラ (gorira)
Let’s look at the standard Japanese word for gorilla, how to write it, how to say it, and if there are any formal or casual ways to refer to it.
How to Write Gorilla in Katakana and Hiragana
The usual way to write gorilla in Japanese is katakana: ゴリラ.
Katakana shows foreign loanwords and names, so gorira uses three katakana characters: ゴ (go), リ (ri), and ラ (ra).
Each character matches a single syllable sound.
You can write it in hiragana as ごりら, but honestly, you’ll rarely see that.
Hiragana is mostly for native words and children’s books, so ごりら feels softer or a bit childlike.
Most dictionaries and zoos stick with ゴリラ.
If you want to type it, just switch your input method to Japanese and type “gorira.”
Your IME will probably offer ゴリラ first.
For practice, try writing each character stroke and learn the katakana row for g- and r- sounds.
Pronunciation and Romaji Spelling
Say it as three separate syllables: “go-ri-ra.”
Romaji spelling is gorira.
The first “go” sounds like “go” in English.
The “ri” is a light “ri” (not rolled), and the last “ra” is short and tapped.
Japanese doesn’t stress syllables like English.
Keep each part even and short: go‑ri‑ra.
You can listen to the standard pronunciation in online dictionaries, for example the Tanoshii Japanese entry for ゴリラ.
When speaking, don’t stretch the vowels—making them long would actually change the meaning.
Try saying the romaji, then read the katakana: ゴリラ → gorira.
Repeat slowly, then at a normal pace, until your mouth gets used to those g‑, r‑, and a sounds.
Formal and Informal Versions in Japanese
Most of the time, you’ll just use the noun ゴリラ in both formal and casual speech.
It’s neutral and works for scientific, zoo, or everyday talk.
For a formal sentence, you might say: 動物園のゴリラは元気です。 (Dōbutsuen no gorira wa genki desu.) — “The zoo’s gorilla is healthy.”
Informally, people sometimes shorten or play with the word in nicknames, like ゴリ (gori), which shows up in casual talk or pop culture.
Use ゴリ only if you know your audience—it can sound playful or even a bit rude, depending on the situation.
There aren’t any common kanji for gorilla.
If you need to sound polite, adjust your particles and verbs (using です/ます).
The noun itself stays the same: ゴリラ (gorira).
Gorillas in Japanese Culture and Language
People use the katakana word ゴリラ in everyday speech and wildlife writing.
Let’s see how Japanese treats gorillas as animals, how similar words like 猿 (monkey) and 猫 (cat) appear, and check out some example sentences you can practice.
Gorilla as an Animal in Japanese
In Japanese, gorilla is written ゴリラ (gorira) in katakana.
You’ll spot this form on zoo signs, in books, and in the news, since katakana handles foreign or scientific names.
Some dictionaries list ゴリラ with pronunciation guides and short entries showing it means the large ape native to Africa.
Writers stick with ゴリラ in formal texts instead of trying to make a kanji version.
If you visit a zoo in Japan, you’ll almost always see ゴリラ plus the English name on the enclosure label.
For pronunciation help, online dictionaries like Wiktionary give accent and reading notes you can check.
Related Animal Vocabulary: 猿 and 猫
猿 (さる, saru) means monkey and covers lots of species in Japan, including the native macaque.
Don’t mix up 猿 and ゴリラ; they’re different animals and use different scripts—kanji for 猿 and katakana for ゴリラ.
Use 猿 when you’re talking about monkeys in stories, folklore, or even at local parks.
猫 (ねこ, neko) means cat and pops up all the time in daily speech and pop culture.
Cats and monkeys show up in idioms and kids’ tales, while gorillas are more often seen as zoo animals or stars of nature shows.
Knowing 猿 and 猫 helps you compare animal words and notice when Japanese uses kanji, hiragana, or katakana.
Example Japanese Sentences Using ゴリラ
-
ズーでゴリラを見ました。
(ズーで ゴリラ を みました。)
I saw a gorilla at the zoo. -
ゴリラはアフリカにいます。
(ゴリラ は アフリカ に います。)
Gorillas live in Africa, you know? -
猿とゴリラは違います。
(さる と ゴリラ は ちがいます。)
This one lets you practice telling 猿 and ゴリラ apart. -
猫が窓のそばで寝ている間、子どもたちはゴリラの絵本を読んでいた。
Here, 猫 just naps by the window while the kids read a gorilla picture book.
Try reading these out loud, or just use them to get a feel for the words. It’s a good way to practice pronunciation and figure out which script to use for each animal.
If you want more details or need to double-check a word, you might want to look at the Wiktionary page for ゴリラ.
