List: basic animals

Wordpopular  JLPT N5  noun  noun (generic)  abbreviation  usually written using kana alone  slang 

• cat (esp. the domestic cat, Felis catus), feline
• shamisen
• geisha
• wheelbarrow
• clay bed-warmer
• bottom (submissive partner of a homosexual relationship)

Wordpopular  JLPT N5  noun  noun (generic)  derogatory  usually written using kana alone  noun (prefix) 

• dog (Canis (lupus) familiaris), canine
• squealer, rat, snitch, informer, informant, spy
• loser, asshole
• counterfeit, inferior, useless, wasteful

Wordpopular  obsolete reading  rarely used kanji form  irregular kanji usage  JLPT N3  usually written using kana alone  noun  noun (generic) 

• rabbit, hare, coney, cony, lagomorph (esp. leporids)

Wordpopular  rarely used kanji form  JLPT N5  noun  noun (generic) 

• bird
• bird meat (esp. chicken meat), fowl, poultry

Wordpopular  search-only kanji form  JLPT N3  usually written using kana alone  noun  noun (generic)  derogatory  archaic 

• monkey (esp. the Japanese macaque, Macaca fuscata), ape, non-human primate
• sly person
• idiot, hick
• sliding wooden bolt (for holding a door or window shut)
• clasp used to control the height of a pot-hook
• bathhouse prostitute

Wordpopular  noun  noun (generic) 

• kangaroo

Wordsearch-only kana form  search-only kanji form  usually written using kana alone  noun  noun (generic) 

• male bird
• cock, rooster

Wordsearch-only kana form  search-only kanji form  usually written using kana alone  noun  noun (generic) 

• female bird
• hen (female chicken)

Wordpopular  noun  noun (generic) 

• lion (Panthera leo)

Wordpopular  JLPT N3  noun  noun (generic)  colloquial 

• tiger (Panthera tigris)
• drunkard, drunk, sot