ぬいぐるみ（ぬいぐるみ、nuigurumi）
- stuffed animal

The Japanese word ぬいぐるみ refers to a stuffed toy, a plush toy, or a soft toy. It typically describes a toy animal or character made of soft materials like fabric and filled with stuffing. The term encompasses a wide variety of such toys, from simple teddy bears to more elaborate character-based creations.

⚫︎私のぬいぐるみはクマです。 Translation: My stuffed toy is a bear. ⚫︎子供は新しいぬいぐるみが大好きです。 Translation: The child loves their new stuffed toy. ⚫︎誕生日にぬいぐるみをもらいました。 Translation: I received a stuffed toy for my birthday.

You can use ぬいぐるみ in any situation where you are talking about stuffed toys. It's suitable for describing your own toys, those of others, or toys in general. You can use it in casual conversations with friends and family, or in more formal settings, such as when describing a gift.

ぬいぐるみ is primarily written in hiragana. It is rarely written in katakana or kanji. There are no variations in okurigana.

There are no direct synonyms for ぬいぐるみ in Japanese that have the same broad meaning. However, you could describe specific types of ぬいぐるみ using words like: ⚫︎ テディベア (teddy bear) ⚫︎ 人形 (ningyou - doll, which can sometimes include plush dolls) ⚫︎ マスコット (masukotto - mascot) It's important to choose the word that best describes the specific type of toy.

There isn't a direct antonym for ぬいぐるみ. The concept of an "opposite" would depend on what aspect you are contrasting. You could contrast it with: ⚫︎ おもちゃ (omocha - toy) - a general term for all toys ⚫︎ 硬いおもちゃ (katai omocha - hard toy) - to indicate a toy that is not soft

彼女はたくさんのぬいぐるみを集めています。 ・Translation: She collects many stuffed toys. ・Explanation: This sentence simply states that the person collects ぬいぐるみ.

そのぬいぐるみはとても柔らかいです。 ・Translation: That stuffed toy is very soft. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the physical characteristic of the ぬいぐるみ.

The word ぬいぐるみ is a compound word. "ぬい" (nui) is the stem of the verb 縫う (nuu), meaning "to sew". "ぐるみ" (gurumi) comes from the verb 包む (tsutsumu), meaning "to wrap" or "to envelop". Together, it literally means "sewn and wrapped," reflecting the construction of these toys, which involves sewing fabric together and filling them with stuffing.