動物園
Meaning in Englishzoo
Animated kanji stroke order
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Word context
What it means
動物園 (dōbutsuen) means "zoo": a managed place where live animals are kept and displayed to the public, serving roles in recreation, species care, scientific study, and public outreach; it denotes an institution designed for people to observe animals in enclosures or naturalistic settings and for institutions to care for, research, and sometimes breed species.
Main meanings
- A common element in place names and facility titles indicating a site associated with animals rather than a literal meaning beyond the institution.
- A figurative expression used to describe any chaotic, overcrowded, or disorderly situation, similar to English "it was a zoo."
- A category label in travel, education, and entertainment listings distinguishing terrestrial animal exhibits from aquariums or botanical gardens.
How to use it
Used as a neutral noun in both formal and casual speech to refer to institutions, on signage, in guidebooks and maps, in news reports about animals or conservation, and when arranging visits or field trips; it appears in compound terms in administrative and commercial contexts and is appropriate for both everyday conversation and official documents.
Variants and close terms
- 動物公園 (dōbutsu kōen) — "animal park," often a smaller, park-like facility.
- サファリパーク (safarī pāku) — "safari park," a drive-through or open-range animal park.
- ズー (zū) — casual katakana borrowing meaning "zoo."
- 水族館 (suizokukan) — "aquarium," a related term focusing on aquatic animals (contrast).
Composition
- 動 (dō): move, motion — implies activity or movement.
- 物 (butsu): thing, object; in context often refers to animals.
- 園 (en): garden, park — an enclosed or managed place.
- The three characters combine to form the notion of a managed park (園) for living creatures (動物), producing the compound word for a zoological garden.
Origin
The modern concept of Western-style zoological gardens arrived in Japan during the Meiji era; the country's first public zoo recognized as such is Ueno Zoological Gardens in Tokyo, opened in 1882, while earlier periods had private menageries owned by daimyo and elites but lacked the public, scientific, and conservation roles of contemporary zoos.
Word class
noun (名詞)