How to say "buffalo" in Japanese

• バッファロー
  nounThe loanword, a direct katakana rendering of English 'buffalo'. It names the animal just as the English word does, and is the most transparent choice when you simply mean 'buffalo', though it is less common.
  何百なんびゃくというバッファローが湖みずうみのほうへ移動いどうした。↗

  Hundreds of buffaloes moved toward the lake.
• 野牛やぎゅう
  nounWritten with kanji for 'wild' and 'ox', this is the general term for wild bovines and can render 'buffalo'. It is less common, and for the American animal there is the more specific アメリカやぎゅう.
  私なんぞには野牛やぎゅうと鹿しかと馬うまとを描き分えがきわけることなど到底とうてい出来できない。↗

  Me? I can't even begin to draw buffalo, deer and horses so you can tell them apart.
• アメリカやぎゅう
  nounThe specific name for the American bison (Bison bison), the animal often called 'buffalo' in North America. Choose it when that species is meant; it is usually written in kana alone and is less common.
  コロンブスがアメリカ大陸あめりかたいりくを発見はっけんしたとき、バイソン（アメリカ野牛やぎゅう）は、広大こうだいな地域ちいきに棲すんでいた。↗

  When Columbus discovered America, bison (American buffalo) inhabited a wide-ranging area.

For the animal, 「バッファロー」 is the direct loanword; 野牛 is the kanji term that frames it as a wild ox; 「アメリカやぎゅう」 is the specific name for the American bison — all three are less common.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• バッファローbuffalo
• 野牛やぎゅうbuffalo
• アメリカやぎゅうAmerican bison (Bison bison)