Horse in Japanese: 馬 (うま / uma) Meaning, Pronunciation & Examples

Do you know how to say “horse” in Japanese?
In Japanese, “bear” is Horse in Japanese: 馬 (うま / uma).
In this article, you’ll learn its meaning, pronunciation, and how to use it in example sentences.

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Japanese Vocabulary and the Meaning

Key Word馬 / ウマ
Hiraganaうま
Romaji Readinguma
English Meaninghorse

The word can be written in kanji, hiragana, or katakana, but in most cases it’s written in kanji.

How to Pronounce Horse in Japanese

Pronunciation: 馬(うま / uma)

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The Example Japanese Sentences

It is important to have skills in both non-honorific and honorific languages in order to use Japanese correctly.

I rode a horse on a farm.

Plain form:

牧場ぼくじょううまった。
Bokujō de uma ni notta.

Polite form:

牧場で馬に乗りました。
Bokujō de uma ni norimashita.


The horse is sleeping comfortably.

Plain form:

うま気持きもさそうにている。
Uma ga kimochi-yosasō ni nete iru.

Polite form:

馬が気持ち良さそうに寝ています。
Uma ga kimochi-yosasō ni nete imasu.


The bear caught a big salmon.

Plain form:

うまがニンジンをしがっている。
Uma ga ninjin o hoshi gatte iru.

Polite form:

馬がニンジンを欲しがっています。
Uma ga ninjin o hoshi gatte imasu.


It’s cool to see horses running.

Plain form:

うまはし姿すがたは、かっこいい。
Uma ga hashiru sugata wa, kakkoī.

Polite form:

馬が走る姿は、かっこいいです。
Uma ga hashiru sugata wa, kakkoī.


A horse is eating hay.

Plain form:

うまが、くさべている。
Uma ga hoshikusa o tabete iru.

Polite form:

馬が干し草を食べています。
Uma ga hoshikusa o tabete imasu.


My wife and my mother seem to hit it off..

うまう= hit it off

Plain form:

よめわたしははは、うまうようだ。
Yome to watashi no haha wa uma ga au yōda.

Polite form:

嫁と私の母は馬が合うようです。
Yome to watashi no haha wa uma ga au yōdesu.


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