蛙

ja-noun

蛙(かえる) or 蛙(カエル) • (kaeru) ^(←かへる (kaferu)?)

蛙 (canonical)
蛙 (canonical)
kaeru (romanization)
kaferu (romanization)
かへる (hiragana historical)

Frog
Man'yōshū
Muromachi period
Nihon Kokugo Daijiten
Nihon Shoki
Nippo Jisho
ja:カエル
蛙

*⟨kape₁ru⟩ → /kaperu/ → /kaferu/ → /kaweru/ → /kajeru/ → /kaeru/
From Old Japanese.
The Nihon Kokugo Daijiten cites this to the Nihon Shoki of 720, however, that may only be traceable to supplemental glosses added later to the kanbun original.
Spelled phonetically once in the Man'yōshū, completed some time after 759 CE, where it is used phonetically to spell the name of the maple tree, 楓 (kape₁rute > kaede). Generally regarded as the informal or everyday term for frog, in contrast to the formal or poetic term kawazu (see below).
The ultimate derivation is unclear, with numerous theories. Some of the leading ideas include:
* Cognate with 帰る (kaeru, “to return (to a point of origin)”), from the way that some species of frogs return to their birthplace to spawn
* Cognate with 孵る (kaeru, “to hatch (from an egg)”), in reference to tadpoles
* Derived from onomatopoeia, where kape originally referred to the frog's call, suffixed uncertain element -ru
The phonetic development went through a clear stage where the middle mora was pronounced /je/, as illustrated in the 1603 Nippo Jisho entry, spelled cayeru. This was likely a result of the Muromachi period sound shift, where /we/ shifted to /je/, followed later by /je/ merging into /e/ to produce modern /kaeru/.
Now the most common term for frog.


蛙

蛙 (canonical)
kawazu (romanization)
kafadu (romanization)
かはづ (hiragana historical)

⟨kapadu⟩ → */kapadu/ → /kafad͡zu/ → /kawad͡zu/ → /kawazu/
The more formal or poetic counterpart to kaeru (see above). Found in the Man'yōshū, completed some time after 759 CE.
The ultimate derivation is unclear, but the initial kawa portion (ancient kapa) is very likely 川, 河 (kawa, ancient kapa, “river”).
The phonetic development of the term had already progressed to kawadzu by 1603, as seen in the Nippo Jisho entry, spelled cauazzu.

a frog in a well does not know the great ocean

井の中の蛙大海を知らず: → metaphor of a narrow world view based on limited experience

furuike ya kawazu tobikomu mizu no oto

1686, 松尾芭蕉 Matsuo Bashō 古池や蛙飛びこむ水の音 ふるいけやかはづとびこむみづのおと (modern kana: ふるいけやかわずとびこむみずのおと)

old pond -- a frog jumps in -- the sound of water

(Noh theater) a specific mask used in certain Noh plays, depicting a drowned person


蛙

⟨kaperu⟩ → /kaperu/ → /kaferu/ → /kaweru/ → /kajeru/ → /kairu/
Sound shift. Existed alongside earlier kayeru in the late 1500s, early 1600s, as seen in the 1603 Nippo Jisho entry, spelled cairu.

(archaic, possibly obsolete) a frog (amphibious animal)


ウーパールーパー

ウーパールーパー • (ūpārūpā)

(1985) Appeared in a TV commercial, from wasei eigo (和製英語; pseudo-anglicism) wooper looper, as a substitution for アホロートル (ahorōtoru, “axolotl”) which sounds like 阿呆老頭児 (aho rōtoru, literally “stupid old fart”).

アホロートル アホロートル#Japanese

(informal) Synonym of アホロートル (ahorōtoru, “axolotl”)


お玉杓子

お玉(たま)杓(じゃく)子(し) or お玉杓子(タマジャクシ) • (otamajakushi)

お玉杓子 (canonical)
otamajakushi (romanization)
お玉杓子 (canonical)
お玉杓子 (canonical)
otamajakushi (romanization)

御 (o-, honorific prefix) + 玉 (tama, “ball”) + 杓子 (shakushi, “bamboo ladle”)

com

ja:お玉杓子 ja:オタマジャクシ

a ladle (deep-bowled spoon with a long, usually curved, handle)


蝌蚪

蝌蚪 (canonical)
kato (romanization)
kwato (romanization)
くわと (hiragana historical)


青蛙

青蛙 (canonical)
青蛙 (canonical)
aogaeru (romanization)

(zoology) any frog species belonging to the Anura order


森青蛙

ja-noun

森(もり)青(あお)蛙(がえる) or 森青蛙(モリアオガエル) • (moriaogaeru)

森青蛙 (canonical)
森青蛙 (canonical)
moriaogaeru (romanization)

forest green tree frog
forest green tree frog

forest green tree frog (Rhacophorus arboreus)


蟇蛙

蟇(ひき)蛙(がえる) or 蟇蛙(ヒキガエル) • (hikigaeru) ^(←ひきがへる (fikigaferu) or ヒキガヘル (fikigaferu)?)

蟇蛙 (canonical)
蟇蛙 (canonical)
hikigaeru (romanization)
fikigaferu (romanization)
ひきがへる (hiragana historical)
ヒキガヘル (hiragana historical)

[çi̥kʲiɡa̠e̞ɾɯ̟]


牛蛙

牛蛙 (canonical)
牛蛙 (canonical)
ushigaeru (romanization)

[ɯ̟ɕiɡa̠e̞ɾɯ̟]

牛(うし) (ushi, “bull; cow; or the like”) + 蛙(かえる) (kaeru, “frog”)

ja-compound

an American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus)


殿様蛙

ja-noun

殿(との)様(さま)蛙(がえる) or 殿様蛙(トノサマガエル) • (tonosamagaeru)

殿様蛙 (canonical)
殿様蛙 (canonical)
tonosamagaeru (romanization)

dark-spotted frog, Pelophylax nigromaculatus (formerly Rana nigromaculata)


大山椒魚

大(おお)山(さん)椒(しょう)魚(うお) or 大山椒魚(オオサンショウウオ) • (ōsanshōuo) ^(←おほさんせううを (ofosanseuuwo) or オホサンセウウヲ (ofosanseuuwo)?)

大山椒魚 (canonical)
大山椒魚 (canonical)
ōsanshōuo (romanization)
ofosanseuuwo (romanization)
おほさんせううを (hiragana historical)
オホサンセウウヲ (hiragana historical)

[o̞ːsã̠ɰ̃ɕo̞ːɯ̟o̞]

大 (ō, “big”) + 山椒魚 (sanshōuo, “primitive salamander”)

com

Japanese giant salamander
Japanese giant salamander

ja:オオサンショウウオ


山椒魚

ja-noun

山(さん)椒(しょう)魚(うお) or 山椒魚(サンショウウオ) • (sanshōuo) ^(←さんせううを (sanseuuwo) or サンセウウヲ (sanseuuwo)?)

山椒魚 (canonical)
山椒魚 (canonical)
sanshōuo (romanization)
sanseuuwo (romanization)
さんせううを (hiragana historical)
サンセウウヲ (hiragana historical)

[sã̠ɰ̃ɕo̞ːɯ̟o̞]

山(さん)椒(しょう) (sanshō, “Japanese pepper”) + 魚(うお) (uo, “fish”).

ja-compound

a primitive salamander; a cryptobranchoid


井守

ja-noun

井(い)守(もり) or 井守(イモリ) • (imori) ^(←ゐもり (wimori) or ヰモリ (wimori)?)

井守 (canonical)
井守 (canonical)
imori (romanization)
wimori (romanization)
ゐもり (hiragana historical)
ヰモリ (hiragana historical)

Compound of 井 (i, “well”) + 守り (mori, “protector, guardian”, 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “continuative or stem form”) of verb 守る moru, “to protect, to guard”).
First cited to roughly 900 CE.

com

Short for 赤腹井守 (akahara imori, “Japanese fire belly newt”).

赤腹井守

(historical) a job title in the Edo period and earlier, referring to an assistant to the 井司 (ishi, literally “well boss”), both jobs in charge of aspects of the irrigation system


ファイアサラマンダー

ja:ファイアサラマンダー


サラマンダー

ja:サラマンダー ja:四大精霊


赤腹

赤腹 (canonical)
赤腹 (canonical)
akahara (romanization)


赤腹井守

ja-noun

赤(あか)腹(はら)井(い)守(もり) or 赤腹井守(アカハライモリ) • (akahara imori) ^(←あかはらゐもり (akafarawimori) or アカハラヰモリ (akafarawimori)?)

赤腹井守 (canonical)
赤腹井守 (canonical)
akahara imori (romanization)
akafarawimori (romanization)
あかはらゐもり (hiragana historical)
アカハラヰモリ (hiragana historical)

赤腹 (akahara, “red belly”) + 井守 (imori, “salamandrid”)

com

a Japanese fire belly newt (Cynops pyrrhogaster)


日本雨蛙

ja-noun

日(に)本(ほん)雨(あま)蛙(がえる) or 日本雨蛙(ニホンアマガエル) • (Nihon amagaeru) ^(←にほんあまがへる (nifon'amagaferu) or ニホンアマガヘル (nifon'amagaferu)?)

日本雨蛙 (canonical)
日本雨蛙 (canonical)
nifon'amagaferu (romanization)
にほんあまがへる (hiragana historical)
ニホンアマガヘル (hiragana historical)

日本(にほん) (Nihon, “Japan”) + 雨蛙(あまがえる) (amagaeru, “hylid”)

ja-compound

a Japanese tree frog (Dryophytes japonicus)


雨蛙

ja-noun

雨(あま)蛙(がえる) or 雨蛙(アマガエル) • (amagaeru) ^(←あまがへる (amagaferu) or アマガヘル (amagaferu)?)

雨蛙 (canonical)
雨蛙 (canonical)
amagaeru (romanization)
amagaferu (romanization)
あまがへる (hiragana historical)
アマガヘル (hiragana historical)

[a̠ma̠ɡa̠e̞ɾɯ̟]

雨(あま) (ama, “rain”) + 蛙(かえる) (kaeru, “frog”)

ja-compound

Short for 日本雨蛙 (Nihon amagaeru, “Japanese tree frog”).


洞井守

ja-noun

洞(ほら)井(い)守(もり) or 洞井守(ホライモリ) • (horaimori) ^(←ほらゐもり (forawimori) or ホラヰモリ (forawimori)?)

洞井守 (canonical)
洞井守 (canonical)
horaimori (romanization)
forawimori (romanization)
ほらゐもり (hiragana historical)
ホラヰモリ (hiragana historical)

洞 (hora, “cave”) + 井守 (imori, “salamandrid”)


メキシコサラマンダー

ja-noun

^メキシコ サラマンダー

メキシコ (Mekishiko, “Mexico”) + サラマンダー (saramandā, “salamander”), calque of English Mexican salamander.

af

a Mexican salamander (Ambystoma mexicanum)

ja:メキシコサラマンダー


アホロートル

[a̠ho̞ɾo̞ːto̞ɾɯ̟]

From Classical Nahuatl āxōlōtl, influenced by Spanish ajolote.


半割

半割 (canonical)
半割 (canonical)
hanzaki (romanization)

From 半 (han-, “half-; semi-”) + 割き (saki, “splitting”, from 割く (saku, “to split”)), perhaps so named due to the skin fold along its body.

pre

from <i class="Jpan mention" lang="ja">割く</i> (saku, “to split”)

Synonym of 大山椒魚 (ōsanshōuo, “Japanese giant salamander”)