How to say "dragon" in Japanese

• ドラゴンCommon
  nounThe dragon of Western myth and fantasy, typically a winged, fire-breathing monster. Use this loanword for Western-style dragons in European legend, fantasy fiction, and games.
  しかも初陣ういじんがあのドラゴン退治たいじ！↗

  What's more, our first battle is to defeat that dragon!
• 竜りゅうCommon
  nounA dragon, especially the Chinese dragon of East Asian myth: long, serpentine and wingless, linked with water and rain rather than fire. Use it for dragons in Chinese and Japanese legend and art.
  私はずっと竜りゅうが見みたかったのですが、竜りゅうは現実げんじつの生物せいぶつではないのです。↗

  I have always wanted to see a dragon, but dragons are not real creatures.

Use 「ドラゴン」 for the dragons of Western myth and fantasy, and 竜 for the dragon of Chinese and East Asian tradition; both are common words, and the choice turns on which tradition's dragon is meant.

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

• ドラゴンdragon (as depicted in Western myths)
• 竜りゅうdragon (esp. a Chinese dragon)
• 大石たいせきdragon