How to say "hedgehog" in Japanese

• はりねずみ
  nounThe word for the hedgehog itself, covering any mammal of the family Erinaceidae; use it when talking about the animal. It is usually written in kana alone.
• ヘッジホッグ
  nounThe borrowed English word for the same animal; it is less common, so choose it mainly when you deliberately want the English term, and prefer はりねずみ otherwise.
• やまあらし
  nounProperly the word for the porcupine, a different spiny animal; its hedgehog sense is loose or secondary, so it is seldom the word you want when talking about a hedgehog.

For the spiny mammal itself use 「はりねずみ」; 「ヘッジホッグ」 is the borrowed English word for when you want the English term; 「やまあらし」 properly means porcupine and only loosely covers hedgehog.

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

• はりねずみhedgehog (any mammal of family Erinaceidae)
• ヘッジホッグhedgehog
• やまあらしporcupine