しまうま（しまうま、shimauま）
- zebra

The Japanese word しまうま, written in hiragana as しまうま, directly translates to "zebra" in English. It refers to the African equine mammals known for their distinctive black and white striped coats.

⚫︎ 動物園でしまうまを見ました。 Translation: I saw a zebra at the zoo. ⚫︎ しまうまはサバンナに生息しています。 Translation: Zebras live in the savanna. ⚫︎ このしまうまの模様はとても美しいです。 Translation: This zebra's pattern is very beautiful.

This word is used to refer to the animal zebra in everyday conversation. You can use it when talking about animals, zoos, or any context where zebras might be present.

⚫︎ The word is typically written in hiragana as しまうま. ⚫︎ Katakana is sometimes used to emphasize the foreign origin, though less common: シマウマ. ⚫︎ It is not typically written with Kanji. ⚫︎ There are no variations in the okurigana.

There are no direct synonyms for しまうま in Japanese, as it's the specific word for "zebra."

There are no direct antonyms for しまうま.

アフリカのサファリツアーで、群れで草を食べるしまうまを見ることができました。 ・Translation: I was able to see zebras grazing in a herd on an African safari tour. ・Explanation: This sentence describes an experience of seeing a group of zebras in their natural habitat.

子供たちはしまうまの絵を描くのが大好きです。 ・Translation: Children love to draw pictures of zebras. ・Explanation: This sentence describes children's enjoyment of drawing zebras.

The word しまうま is a compound word. It’s composed of 縞 (shima), meaning "stripe," and 馬 (uma), meaning "horse." The "u" sound is dropped in the combination. Therefore, the word literally means "striped horse," accurately describing the animal.