What animal is this kanji? A quiz on difficult animal kanji.

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I’ve been playing the Electone since I was six, mainly performing Disney music, anime songs, and music from dramas and films. I post performance videos on YouTube and social media, and I also give concerts. Building on my Electone experience, I took up synthesizer and piano during my student years and performed at school-sponsored events. As a writer, I’ve covered not only music-related topics but a wide range of genres, so I hope to draw on my experience to deliver articles that make readers think, “I want to try that!” or “I want to listen to that!”

You usually see animal names written in hiragana or katakana, right?

So when an animal name suddenly appears in kanji, you might find yourself a bit confused, thinking, “What animal is this?”

In this article, we’ll introduce tricky kanji that represent animals in a quiz format!

It features many animals you often see at zoos, aquariums, and in wildlife documentaries on TV.

Take the quiz and you’ll learn even more about animals.

It’s perfect for studying kanji and for brain training, so be sure to give it a try!

What animal is this kanji? Difficult Animal Kanji Quiz (11–20)

What kind of animal is a “risu” (squirrel)?

squirrel
mole
hamster

See the answer

squirrel

“栗鼠” refers to “risu,” meaning squirrel. This kanji denotes a small rodent with markings like a chestnut. Besides “栗鼠,” squirrels may also be written as “木鼠” or “松鼠,” depending on their characteristics. By the way, in Japan, two species live in the wild: the Ezo squirrel and the Japanese squirrel.

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In conclusion

We’ve just given you a quiz on animal kanji—how was it? You may have felt, “I think I’ve seen this before, but how do you read it again?” There were probably lots of kanji like that.

Sometimes the characteristics of the animal are reflected in the kanji itself, so take another look and observe the characters closely!