恐竜

• Reading: きょうりゅう
• Romaji: kyouryuu
• Kanji breakdown: 恐 (kyou) — fear, frighten; 竜 (ryuu) — dragon
• Pronunciation: /kʲoː.ɾʲɯː/

Meaning

Dinosaur. An extinct group of large reptiles that dominated the Earth during the Mesozoic Era.

A compound noun used in science, education, and popular culture. 恐竜 appears frequently in museum exhibits, children's books, and science documentaries. The word is often encountered in compound forms like 恐竜時代 (age of dinosaurs) and 恐竜博物館 (dinosaur museum).

Examples

1. 子供の頃、恐竜の図鑑を毎日読んでいた。 When I was a kid, I read dinosaur encyclopedias every single day.
2. 福井県には有名な恐竜博物館がある。 Fukui Prefecture has a famous dinosaur museum.
3. 恐竜が絶滅した原因については、いくつかの説がある。 There are several theories about what caused the dinosaurs to go extinct.

Usage Guide

Context: science, education, popular culture

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

From Sino-Japanese: 恐 (kyou, fearful/frightening) + 竜 (ryuu, dragon). Literally 'fear dragon' — a calque mirroring the Greek-derived English 'dinosaur' (deinos 'terrible' + sauros 'lizard').

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal