LWIF EP26: Do Animals Sound More Realistic in Japanese or English?

I noticed that the sound that animals made were different in Japanese and English. Which animals do you think sound more realistic in Japanese vs. English?

Here are the names of animals and the sounds they make, in Japanese and in English.

  • Pig (ブタ) | oink | ブーブー (buu buu)
  • Elephant (ゾウ) | trumpet (barag?) | パオーンパオーン (paon paon)
  • Cat (ネコ) | meow | ニャーニャー | (nyaa nyaa)
  • Dog (イヌ) | bark | ワンワン (wan wan)
  • Monkey (サル) | grunt/squeak (ooh ooh aah aah) | ウキーキー (uki kii)
  • Rooster (オンドリ) | cock-a-doodle-doo | コケコッコー (kokekokko)
  • Cow (ウシ) | moo | モーモー (moo moo)
  • Horse (ウマ) | neigh | ヒヒーン (hihiin)
  • Bear (クマ) | roar | ガオー (gaoo)
    Owl (フクロウ) | hoot | ほーほー (hoo hoo)

If you’re interested in learning more Japanese onomatopoeia (words that represent sounds), Tofugu has a handy guide. If  you look at that link, you’ll see that the Japanese language has a ton of onomatopoeia.

What do animals sound like where you’re from?