taiga

American  

[tahy-guh, tahy-gah] / ˈtaɪ gə, taɪˈgɑ /

noun

1. the coniferous evergreen forests of subarctic lands, covering vast areas of northern North America and Eurasia.

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taiga British  

/ ˈtaɪɡə /

noun

1. the coniferous forests extending across much of subarctic North America and Eurasia, bordered by tundra to the north and steppe to the south

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taiga Scientific  

/ tī′gə /

1. A forest located in the Earth's far northern regions, consisting mainly of cone-bearing evergreens, such as firs, pines, and spruces, and some deciduous trees, such as larches, birches, and aspens. The taiga is found just south of the tundra.

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Etymology

Origin of taiga

First recorded in 1885–90; from Russian taĭgá, from one or more Turkic languages of the Altai Mountain region; compare Altai, Shor tayγa “forest-covered mountain”

Compare meaning

How does taiga compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• taiga vs. tundra

Example Sentences

Japan's Taiga Hasegawa took silver and Jake Canter of the USA won bronze.

From Barron's • Feb. 18, 2026

It looks like an open competition but Japan's team is full of talent, including reigning world champion Ryoma Kimata and overall World Cup winner Taiga Hasegawa.

From BBC • Feb. 2, 2026

Exclusive to this location is a Taiga Takahashi shop-in-shop inspired by traditional Japanese inns.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 5, 2024

This was fortunate, because Quinn and Cahill had known Taiga for years, ever since she was at the Ministry of Defense and they were businessmen who occasionally won contracts from it.

From New York Times • Feb. 9, 2024

Then came the formation called the Taiga, a sort of Arctic moorland, which becomes swampy and dangerous in summer.

From Some Reminiscences of old Victoria by Fawcett, Edgar