Translation

The Japanese word for "Lion" is raion ライオン, a katakanization.
Another word for "Lion" is shishi 獅子.

  • raion is the normal Japanese word for lion, while shishi is what the Chinese called the animal they had heard about in legends. Before knowing what a lion actually was, they had an idea of how a lion looked like from stories. So when they met animals that fit the description of a lion, they assumed they were lions, shishi, even when they weren't. Which is why shishi can refer to some things that aren't lions.[1]
Romaji ra i o n
Katakana
Hiragana
Romaji shi shi
Hiragana
Katakana
Kanji 獅子
School Level , 小1

Synonyms

Scientific name: Panthera leo.
Sea Lion.