![[Unusual creatures too?] Animal names that start with “nu”](https://media.ragnet.co.jp/img/1200__png__https://www.studiorag.com/files/2025/05/dcdd7254f52c28d94250a4253b2da7ab.webp)
In this article, we’ll introduce animal names that start with the Japanese syllable “nu” (ぬ).
When you play word-chain games like shiritori with a theme such as “animal names only,” there are always a few tricky starting sounds.
Names of living creatures that seem like they should exist, but don’t come readily to mind.
If you love animals, you may have heard of some of these species or already know them.
By learning about these slightly niche creatures, you’ll not only have more options for various games, but the knowledge may also come in handy at some point.
Feel free to use this as conversation material about animals most people don’t know.
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2 characters (1–10)
Nue (Chimera)
It’s a yokai with a strange appearance: the face of a monkey, the body of a raccoon dog, the limbs of a tiger, and the tail of a snake.
It also appears in The Tale of the Heike, and there’s a legend that on nights when the nue cries, terrible things will happen.
gnu (wildebeest)
An animal of the Bovidae family that lives in southern Africa.
It is characterized by a body shape that looks like a cross between a cow and an antelope, and you may have seen it on TV being targeted by predators such as lions and leopards.
3 characters (1–10)
biting midge (Ceratopogonidae)
They were named “nukaka” because of their tiny size, like grains of rice bran.
They are only about 1 millimeter long, and some females suck blood like mosquitoes—another characteristic is that you hardly notice when you’ve been bitten.
Nukute
An alternate name for the Korean wolf, which inhabits the Korean Peninsula, China, and the Himalayan region.
It is larger than the Japanese wolf with longer limbs, and is characterized by white fur around the mouth, on the throat, and on the cheeks.
4 letters (1–10)
Numajika (Swamp Deer)
A species of deer on the brink of extinction, it is considered the largest deer in South America.
As its name suggests, it inhabits wetlands around marshes, rivers, and streams, and is characterized by primarily feeding on aquatic plants.
marsh snail (numagai)
A bivalve that lives in freshwater such as rivers and marshes.
It’s also called dobukai and is said not to be very suitable for eating.
In addition, a 34 cm swamp mussel (numagai) caught on the TV show “Drain the Pond!” became a hot topic!
Amano shrimp
A species of shrimp that inhabits freshwater such as rivers, lakes, and ponds in tropical and subtropical regions.
Because it is sensitive to pollution, the presence of these swamp shrimp is said to be proof that the environment is rich in nature.