How to say "snake" in Japanese

• 蛇へびCommon
  nounThe word for the animal itself: an actual snake, the legless reptile. It does not cover the verb sense of winding or meandering.
  「君きみはヘビが好すきですか」「もちろん好すきではありません」↗

  "Do you like snakes?" "Of course not."
• スネークCommon
  nounThe katakana loanword for 'snake'. For the animal itself, 蛇 is the natural pick; スネーク appears chiefly in loanword contexts, such as the names of games and products.
• 畝るうねるCommon
  godan verb, intransitive verbA verb, not the animal: it means to wind, twist, or meander — the sense of English 'to snake', as when a road or river snakes through the countryside.
  川かわはうねるように平野へいやを流ながれている。↗

  The river meanders across the plain.

For the animal use 蛇; 「スネーク」 is the loanword, found mainly in names and borrowed contexts; 「畝る」 is the verb 'to snake', for winding or meandering movement as of a road or river.

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

• 蛇へびsnake
• スネークsnake
• うねるto wind (of a road, river, etc.)
• 長虫ながむしsnake