The Japanese word for shark is same (traditional Japanese) and shāku (English loanword). In the table below, we have listed some common shark species found in the waters of Japan, along with their Japanese translations.
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| Romanji | Kanji | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Shark サメ | Same | 鮫 | |
| Shark (English loanword) シャーク | Shāku | None | |
| Whitetip reef shark ネムリブカ | Nemuribuka | 眠鱶 | |
| Great white shark ホオジロザメ | Hōjirozame | 頬白鮫 | |
| Hammerhead shark シュモクザメ | Shumokuzame | 撞木鮫 | |
| Whale shark ジンベイザメ | Jinbeizame | 甚兵衛鮫 | |
| Japanese bullhead shark ネコザメ | Nekozame | 猫鮫 |
Interesting facts about sharks in Japan
There are around 400 shark species in the world and 124 of those have been found in the waters off Japan. Another interesting fact is that shark attacks are very rare in Japan. Between 1862 and 2016, there have been 27 shark attacks of which 15 was fatal.