Doubutsuen (どうぶつえん)

Kanji	Meaning	Hiragana
動物	Animal	どうぶつ
園	Park, Garden	えん

When we were last in Tokyo we visited the sprawling Ueno Zoo located in Ueno Park (上野公園), about 15 minutes train ride north of Tokyo.

There was plenty to see and do in the park (and also in Ueno itself) including the zoo, an amusement park, temples and much more.

So Doubutsuen (どうぶつえん) is made up of 動物 (Animal) and 園 (Park, Garden), which gives us Animal Park or what is more commonly referred to as a Zoo.

If you’re ever in Japan, you are more likely to see the kanji for park (園) in the context of a sign for a public park – 公園 (こうえん).

Usage Examples

Kanji	Meaning	Hiragana
園丁	Gardener	えんてい
霊園	Cemetery	れいえん
国立公園	National Park	こくりつこうえん
動物学	Zoology	どうぶつがく
海生動物	Sea Animal	かいせいどうぶつ

You’ll find it’s a great way to learn more about the use and context of the kanji by looking up each character in the table above.

For example – Cemetery is made up of 霊, which means Departed Soul, Spirit or Ghost and of course 園, which we learnt is Park or Garden. Together you get a garden of departed souls eg cemetery.