鳶

鳶 (canonical)
鳶 (canonical)
tobi (romanization)
とび (hiragana historical)

Perhaps from 飛び (tobi, “flying”, stem form of 飛ぶ (tobu, “to fly”)).

Short for 鳶口 (tobi-guchi, “a fire hook”).

Short for 鳶の者 (tobi no sha, “a construction worker, an Edo period fireman”).

鳶の者

Short for 鳶色 (tobi iro, “kite-wing brown”).


鳶

ja-noun

鳶(とんび) or 鳶(トンビ) • (tonbi) ^(←とんび (tonbi)?)

鳶 (canonical)
鳶 (canonical)
tonbi (romanization)
とんび (hiragana historical)

Short for 鳶合羽 (tonbi-kappa, “a caped overcoat”).


鶉

鶉(うずら) or 鶉(ウズラ) • (uzura) ^(←うづら (udura) or ウヅラ (udura)?)

鶉 (canonical)
鶉 (canonical)
uzura (romanization)
udura (romanization)
うづら (hiragana historical)
ウヅラ (hiragana historical)

From Old Japanese, from Proto-Japonic *untura. Cognate with Miyako 鶉 (vdza), Okinawan 鶉 (ujirā), Yaeyama 鶉 (utcha).

Coturnix japonica
Coturnix japonica#Translingual


鵜

鵜 (canonical)
鵜 (canonical)
u (romanization)

Possibly onomatopoeia of the bird's cry.

a cormorant (seabird of the family Phalacrocoracidae)


鮑

鮑 (canonical)
awabi (romanization)
afabi (romanization)
あはび (hiragana historical)

→ Macanese: auábe, auabi


鷽

鷽 (canonical)
鷽 (canonical)
uso (romanization)


鮭

大西洋鮭

大西洋鮭 たいせいようさけ


鮭

鮭 (canonical)
鮭 (canonical)
sake (romanization)

Originally borrowed from Ainu サㇰイベ (sak ibe, “salmon”, literally “summer + eat”, in reference to how the fish would be caught and eaten in the summer), or possible alternative unattested compound *サㇰエㇷ゚ (sak ep, literally “summer + food”).


鮭

ja-noun

鮭(しゃけ) or 鮭(シャケ) • (shake) ^(←しやけ (syake)?)

鮭 (canonical)
鮭 (canonical)
shake (romanization)
syake (romanization)
しやけ (hiragana historical)

Probably a sound shift from the sake reading, possibly to help differentiate from 酒 (sake, “alcoholic beverage”). Alternatively, might be a borrowing from a different dialect of Ainu.


麕

麕 (canonical)
麕 (canonical)
noro (romanization)

Borrowed from Middle Korean 노로 (nwolwo).


鰻

⟨munaɡi₁⟩ → /munaɡi/
From Old Japanese, first attested in the Man'yōshū (c. 759 CE).
Speculatively, might be from 身 (mu, “body”, ancient compounding form of modern mi) + 長 (nagi, “long”, irregular shift from expected reading naga). However, the naga → nagi shift is otherwise unattested.

compound

石麻呂尓吾物申夏痩尓吉跡云物曽武奈伎取喫

Iwamaro ni waga mono mōsu natsu-yase ni yoshi to iu-mono zo munagi torimese

I address Mr. Iwamaro: they're said to be efficacious for summer loss of weight―go and eat some eels.

痩々母生有者将在乎波多也波多武奈伎乎漁取跡河尓流勿

yasuyasu mo ikeraba aramu o hata ya hata munagi o toru to kawa ni nagaru na

Ever thinner though you be, better stay alive. When you're after eels for dinner, watch your step. Don't dive.


鰻

鰻 (canonical)
鰻 (canonical)
unagi (romanization)

Daijirin
Daijisen
Nihon Kokugo Daijiten
ja:松村明

/munaɡi/ → /unaɡi/
Sound shift from munagi above.
First cited to a text from 1241.

eel, especially the Japanese eel (Anguilla japonica)

鰻の寝床

long, narrow house; eel bed; unagi no nedoko


鷲

鷲 (canonical)
鷲 (canonical)
washi (romanization)

From Old Japanese, from Proto-Japonic *wasi.


鯨

ja-noun

鯨(くじら) or 鯨(クジラ) • (kujira) ^(←くぢら (kudira)?)

鯨 (canonical)
鯨 (canonical)
kujira (romanization)
kudira (romanization)
くぢら (hiragana historical)

/kudira/ → /kud͡ʑira/
From Old Japanese. Appears in the Kojiki of 712 CE with the man'yōgana spelling 久治良 (kudira). Hypothesized as ultimately from reconstructed Proto-Japonic *kuntira.
Ultimate derivation unclear. Theories include an alteration from 口広 (kuchibiro) in reference to the wide mouth; an alteration from 口開く (kuchibiraku) in reference to the gaping mouth; and an alteration from 黒白 (kuroshiro) in reference to the black-and-white coloration of certain cetaceans.
However, the oldest sources clearly spell the term as kudira.
* This rules out 口 (kuti → kuchi, “mouth”) as an etymon, as the oldest compounds using this term use the bound form kutu, not kuti, and there is no support for a kutu → kudi shift.
* This also rules out 白 (siro, sira → shiro, shira, “white”) as an etymon. Although rendaku (voicing in compounds) would give modern jira as a reading for 白, the ancient reading of sira would voice to something closer to zira, and there is no support for a zira → dira shift.
Also compare Korean 고래 (gorae) "whale."

鼇 五労反 久地良（久知）

898–901, Shinsen Jikyō, volume 9, page 1:

鼇 敖龜字 背負甲 蓬莱之山遊戯 滄之中 久地良

898–901, Shinsen Jikyō, volume 9, page 2:

鯨 鯢 唐韻云、大魚、雄曰鯨、渠京反、雌曰鯢、音蜺、久知良 […]

938, Minamoto no Shitagō, Wamyō Ruijushō, volume 8, page 3:

Whales and Whale-cows: The Tangyun calls them great fish. Males are called 鯨, fanqie kei, and Females are called 蜺, sound gei, kujira …

Cujira. Balea.

1603, “cujira”, in Vocabvlario da Lingoa de Iapam (Nippo Jisho) [Vocabulary of the Language of Japan] (in Portuguese), Nagasaki:


鯨

From Old Japanese. Root isa (“powerful?”) appears to be the same element in verb 勇む (isamu, “to be courageous, to be in high spirits”).


鯨

From Old Japanese. Found in the Man'yōshū completed some time after 759 CE, often with the spelling 鯨魚 (literally “whale fish”).
From cognate isa above, suffixed with 魚 (-na, “fish”). Sometimes spelled as 勇魚.

; text here
玉桙之 道尓出立 葦引乃 野行山行 潦 川徃渉 鯨名取 海路丹出而...
玉桙の 道に出で立ち あしひきの 野行き山行き にはたづみ 川行き渡り 鯨魚取り 海道に出でて...
たまほこの みちにいでたち あしひきの のゆきやまゆき にはたづみ かはゆきわたり いさなとり うみぢにいでて...
Tamahoko no / michi ni idetachi / ashi hiki no / no yuki yama yuki / niwatazumi / kawa yuki watari / isana tori umiji ni idete...
Heading out on the jeweled-spear road, going through the alluring fields and mountains, crossing the puddles and rivers, taking to the whaling sea road ...


鸛

鸛(こうのとり) or 鸛(コウノトリ) • (kōnotori) ^(←こふのとり (kofunotori) or コフノトリ (kofunotori)?)

鸛 (canonical)
鸛 (canonical)
kōnotori (romanization)
kofunotori (romanization)
こふのとり (hiragana historical)
コフノトリ (hiragana historical)

Compound of 鸛 (kō, “Oriental stork”, see below) + の (no, attributive particle) + 鳥 (tori, “bird”).

com

Ciconia boyciana
Ciconia boyciana#Translingual


鸛

ja-noun

鸛(こう) or 鸛(コウ) • (kō) ^(←こふ (kofu) or コフ (kofu)?)

鸛 (canonical)
鸛 (canonical)
kō (romanization)
kofu (romanization)
こふ (hiragana historical)
コフ (hiragana historical)

白襟鸛

Asian woolly-necked stork (Ciconia episcopus)


鵲

From Old Japanese, first appears in the Nihon Shoki of 720 CE.
Derivation unknown, theories include:
* The initial kasa- may be cognate with or a borrowing from an earlier form of Korean 까치 (kkachi, “magpie”).
* The final -sagi may be a reference to the white chest, alluding to the similar plumage of certain kinds of 鷺 (sagi, “heron, egret”).
* Alternatively, the final -sagi may derive from onomatopoeia, imitative of the bird's call.
* May be a corruption of 烏 (karasu, “crow”) + 鷺 (sagi, “heron, egret”):
*: /karasu saɡi/ → */kasːaɡi/ → /kasasaɡi/
* May be a corruption of カラ (kara, onomatopoeia for cawing, seen in 烏 (karasu), “crow”) + 鷦鷯 (sasagi, “wren”, obsolete):
*: /kara sasaɡi/ → /kasasaɡi/
* May be a corruption of カチカチ (kachikachi, onomatopoeia imitative of the bird's call) + 鷺 (sagi, “heron, egret”):
*: /kat͡ɕikat͡ɕi saɡi/ → */kat̚t͡sasaɡi/ → /kasasaɡi/

(historical) an 鴻 (Ōtori)-class torpedo boat of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II


鶏

黄鶏: a Japanese native species of chicken with dark reddish-brown feathers


鶏

鶏(にわとり) or 鶏(ニワトリ) • (niwatori) ^(←にはとり (nifatori)?)

鶏 (canonical)
鶏 (canonical)
niwatori (romanization)
nifatori (romanization)
にはとり (hiragana historical)

鶏を割くに焉んぞ牛刀を用いん

niwatori o saku ni izukun zo gyūtō o mochiin

why chop a chicken with a meat cleaver? → don't exaggerate

[ɲ̟iβ̞a̠to̞ɾʲi]

⟨nipa tu to₂ri⟩ → */nipatːəri/ → /nifatori/ → /niwatori/
Originally derived from the 枕詞 (makura kotoba, “pillow word”, an epithet as a poetic device) compound phrase 庭つ鳥 (niwa tsu tori), 庭 (niwa, “garden”) + つ (tsu, Old Japanese possessive particle) + 鳥 (tori, “bird”), used in Old Japanese poetry as an allusive introduction to kake, the older word for “chicken” (see below). The medial tsu disappeared over time, yielding modern Japanese niwatori.

compound

Gallus gallus
Gallus gallus#Translingual

a domesticated chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus)


鶏

⟨kake₁⟩ → */kakʲe/ → /kake/
From Old Japanese, first attested in the Kojiki (712 CE).
Onomatopoeic of the sound made by a chicken. Compare English cluck.

… 爾波都登理 迦祁波那久 …


鶏

First attested in The Tales of Ise.
Etymological details
This word has also been spelled as くだかけ (kudakake). This word must have been a compound of くた (kuta/kuda) + 鶏 (kake, “chicken; rooster”).
However, the initial kuta-/kuda- portion has been subject to debate. Several sources have attempted to give an etymology:
# The Hikobae of 1847 and the Daigenkai derive kuta- as a word meaning 'stinky'.
# The Kita-no-bezuihitsu, Meigentsū, and the Minakata-Kumakusu derive this from 百済鶏 (kudara-kake, literally “Baekje chicken”), saying that the chicken was imported from there.
# The Wakun-no-Shiori derives kuta as an eastern word for "house". The same source also supposes a Sanskrit origin, transcribed as kukutaeshira, and also supposes it was derived from 管掛 (kuda-kake) from the way it has a good voice.
# The Honchō Jigen derives this from kudo-kake, where kudo- means 'a passing sound' and -kake means 'to put on'.
# The Myōgoki derives kuda- from 数連 (kazutsura), while -kake is an onomatopoeic sound.
The third etymology is the most likely, as this note appears in several manuscripts of The Tales of Ise, and Vovin (2021) identifies kuda- with Ainu コタン (kotan, “village”) (cf. English village and villa). He also identifies the poem in The Tales of Ise as being a hybrid Japanese-Ainu poem.


鶏

Alternative spelling of 鳥 (tori): a chicken (domesticated fowl); chicken meat


黴

黴 (canonical)
黴 (canonical)
kabi (romanization)


雪

⟨yuki₁⟩ → */jukʲi/ → /juki/
From Old Japanese. Found in the Man'yōshū, completed some time after 759 CE.
Also found once in the Man'yōshū in a so-called 東歌 (Azuma uta, literally “eastern song”) in the eastern dialect of Old Japanese, realized as ⟨yo₂ki₁⟩.
Reconstructed by some as deriving from Proto-Japonic *yoki.

白栲の

shirotae no, pillow word that can allude to yuki

久方の

hisakata no, another pillow word that can allude to yuki

small pieces of paper used to imitate snow


雪

Kyūjitai
Man'yōshū
Shinjitai
Tōkyō
ja:雪
ja:雪 (童謡)


鼈

鼈 (canonical)
鼈 (canonical)
suppon (romanization)

Unknown, theories include:
# Shift from スホン (suhon), the sound when it jumps into a river:
#: /sufon/ → /suppon/
# Corruption of 朱盆 (shubon, literally “vermillion tray”), from the resemblance of its shell:
#: /ɕubon/ → /ɕuppon/ → /suppon/

月と鼈

the moon and suppon (seem alike but are different) → like chalk and cheese

a Chinese softshell turtle, Pelodiscus sinensis

(nautical) a bilge pump used on a 和船 (wasen, “traditional Japanese ship”)


鼈

鼈人を食わんとして却って人に食わる

betsu hito o kuwan to shite kaette hito ni kuwaru

(rare) a Chinese softshell turtle, Pelodiscus sinensis


鷺

鷺 (canonical)
鷺 (canonical)
sagi (romanization)

Egret
Heron
Kojiki
Nihon Kokugo Daijiten
ja:サギ

From Old Japanese. First cited to the Kojiki of 712.
Compare to Korean 새 (sae, “bird”).


雀

雀 (canonical)
雀 (canonical)
suzume (romanization)

Eurasian tree sparrow
Eurasian tree sparrow

Passer montanus
Passer montanus#Translingual


鶯

ja-noun

鶯(うぐいす) or 鶯(ウグイス) • (uguisu) ^(←うぐひす (ugufisu) or ウグヒス (ugufisu)?)

鶯 (canonical)
鶯 (canonical)
uguisu (romanization)
ugufisu (romanization)
うぐひす (hiragana historical)
ウグヒス (hiragana historical)

⟨uɡupi₁ su⟩ → /uɡupisu/ → /uɡufisu/ → /uɡuwisu/ → /uɡuisu/
From Old Japanese. Compound of うぐい (ugui, onomatopoeia, imitative of the bird's call) + す (su, “bird”, ancient suffix appearing in certain bird names). Compare the す (su) in 烏 (karasu), 杜鵑 (hototogisu), モズ (mozu).

com

うぐひすの谷よりいづる声なくははるくることを誰かしらまし

Without the voice of the warbler that comes out of the valley, how would we know the arrival of spring?

uguisu no tani yori izuru koe naku wa haru kuru koto o tare ka shiramashi

Japanese bush warbler
Japanese bush warbler

Japanese bush warbler (Horornis diphone); Japanese nightingale


鴨

鴨 (canonical)
鴨 (canonical)
kamo (romanization)

Unknown. Possibly alteration of Old Japanese 浮かむ (ukamu, “to float”), modern 浮かぶ (ukabu). Alternatively, may derive from Middle Chinese 雁 (MC ngaenH, “a type of wild goose”), borrowed with the kan'on reading gan, with initial g changing to k due to the avoidance of voiced stops at the start of Japanese words in older times, and final n changing to mu due to apparent lack of final n in Old Japanese.

(slang) (from the way ducks return to the same place and are thus easy to hunt) a mark or easy target for a swindle, someone who is likely to lose at gambling or other competition

(slang) (from the good flavor of duck meat) short for 鴨の味 (kamo no aji, “duck flavor”): a very good flavor; by extension, any remarkably good sensation or feeling, particularly describing happy married life

(slang) (from the uniform of black clothing) short for 黒鴨 (kurogamo, “black duck”): a male servant, such as a butler or chauffeur (compare English penguin)


鴨

Rare alternative spelling for 家鴨 (ahiru). See that entry for fuller details.

Anas platyrhynchos
Anas platyrhynchos#Translingual

(rare) alternative spelling of 家鴨: a domestic duck, Anas platyrhynchos var. domesticus, descended from the mallard


鷂

鷂 (canonical)
鷂 (canonical)
haitaka (romanization)

Eurasian sparrowhawk
Eurasian sparrowhawk

Accipiter nisus
Accipiter nisus#Translingual


鳩

鳩 (canonical)
kyū (romanization)
kiu (romanization)
きう (hiragana historical)

/kiu/ → /kʲuː/
From Middle Chinese 鳩 (MC kjuw).

鳩居

pigeon in a magpie's nest; living in a rented house or apartment

鳩首

putting heads together, consulting in a group

(by extension) gather together (from the way that pigeons flock together)


鹿

From Old Japanese. Originally a compound of 鹿 (ka, “deer”) + の (possessive particle) + 肉 (shishi, “meat, flesh”).
First attested in the Kojiki of 712 CE.


鹿

From Old Japanese, from Proto-Japonic *sisi. Cognate with 肉 (shishi, “meat of a beast”).
First attested in the Kojiki of 712 CE.

Short for 猪武者 (inoshishi musha): a reckless warrior

Short for 鹿狩り (shishi-gari): a deer hunter


鶴

鶴 (canonical)
鶴 (canonical)
tsuru (romanization)

Given a crane's long neck and how the bird hunts, possibly related to 蔓 (tsuru, “vine”); 弦 (tsuru, “bowstring; musical instrument string”); 釣る, 吊る (tsuru, “to hang down; to string up; to fish”). Given how cranes flock together, possibly related also to 連る (tsuru), older root form of modern verb 連れる (tsureru, “to accompany”). That said, 連る also appears to ultimately derive from 蔓 (tsuru, “vine”).
Vovin (2008) considers it possibly related to an ancestor of Korean 두루미 (durumi, “crane”), with a root-final -m vanishing later, leaving only a Kansai accent pattern behind. May ultimately be a regional Wanderwort. Compare also Proto-Finno-Ugric *tërka (“crane”), and Proto-Turkic *turunya (“crane”) (whence Turkish turna), Mongolian тогоруу (togoruu, “crane”).
The reading tsuru is first seen used to mean “a crane” from the late Heian period. Prior to that time, the only reading used for the bird was tazu. However, the kanji 鶴 was used in the Man'yōshū (759 CE) as a 借訓 (shakkun) reading for つる (turu → tsuru), the 連体形 (rentaikei, “attributive form”) of つ (tu → tsu, auxiliary verb of affirmation, certainty, or completion), suggesting that tsuru may have already existed as an everyday term meaning “a crane”.

凍て鶴

frozen crane → a metaphor for something stock still and unmoving, from the way a crane will freeze when hunting

Short for 折鶴 (orizuru): a paper crane, the archetypical origami design

折鶴

a decoration made of straws and reeds in the form of two cranes, used during the 14th year of the first month in the former town of Sakurajima, Kagoshima Prefecture


麻

From Old Japanese.
Likely cognate with Korean 삼 (sam, “hemp”).

麻衣 阿佐衣

(please add an English translation of this quotation)


麻

Possibly from an altered pronunciation of asa.


鳥

⟨to₂ri⟩ → /tori/
From Old Japanese, from Proto-Japonic *təri. Probably cognate with Middle Korean ᄃᆞᆰ (tolk), modern Korean 닭 (dak, “fowl; chicken”).
May also be related to the verb 飛ぶ (tobu, “to fly”).

1999 July 5, “タクヒ [Takuhi]”, in BOOSTER 3, Konami:

This bird brings bad luck to wherever it comes.

このトリが現れた時は、何か不吉な事が起こる前ぶれ。

Kono tori ga arawareta toki wa, nani ka fukitsu na koto ga okoru maebure.

1999 August 26, “セイント・バード [Saint Bird]”, in BOOSTER 4, Konami:

A bird with an unusually long tail. It illuminates with holy light.

非常に尾の長い鳥。全身から聖なる光を発する。

Hijō ni o no nagai tori. Zenshin kara seinaru hikari o hassuru.


鳥

⟨to₂ri⟩ → ⟨*to₂⟩ → /to/
From Old Japanese. Appears to be a shift from tori above.


魚

魚 (canonical)
io (romanization)
iwo (romanization)
いを (hiragana historical)

/uwo/ → /iwo/ → /io/
Alteration of older uo, appearing from roughly the Heian period. Alternatively this might be the usage of an apophonic form *iwo; compare Proto-Ryukyuan *iwo.
Still used today in some dialects.


黍

黍 (canonical)
黍 (canonical)
kibi (romanization)

Kōjien
Nihon Kokugo Daijiten
Shinmura Izuru

/kimi/ → /kibi/
Shift from earlier kimi.
First cited to a text from 1241.

Panicum miliaceum
Panicum miliaceum#Translingual

common or proso millet, Panicum miliaceum

Synonym of 玉蜀黍 (tōmorokoshi): corn, maize


黍

⟨ki₁mi₁⟩ → */kʲimʲi/ → /kimi/
From Old Japanese.
The proso millet was introduced to Japan in the Yayoi period.

Shōsōin, text available online here:
小豆二升〈十八文〉伎美二升〈百←十二文〉
Two masu of adzuki beans (18 coins); two masu of millet (100 ← 12 coins)
[Note: The arrow is not included in the Jidai-betsu Kokugo Daijiten citation.]

(obsolete) the common or proso millet, Panicum miliaceum

(obsolete) Synonym of 玉蜀黍 (tōmorokoshi): corn, maize


鼠

鼠 (canonical)
鼠 (canonical)
nezumi (romanization)

Originally a compound of 根 (ne, “root”, more specifically signifying somewhere hidden away) + 住み (sumi, the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “continuative or stem form”) of verb 住む sumu, “to live in a place, to reside”), meaning roughly “one who lives in hidden places”. The sumi changes to zumi as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

compound

the <i class="Jpan mention" lang="ja">連用形</i> (ren'yōkei, “continuative or stem form”) of verb 住む sumu, “to live in a place, to reside”

鼠食

something that has been chew on by mice or rat

家鼠: domestic rodent

brown rat (Rattus norvegicus), black rat (Rattus rattus), and house mouse (Mus musculus)

野鼠: wild rodent

large Japanese field mouse (Apodemus speciosus), Japanese grass vole (Microtus montebelli), red-backed vole (Myodes spp.), etc

general term for members of superfamily Muroidea, including mice, rats, voles, hamsters, gerbils, and other similar rodents

short for 鼠色 (nezumi iro): the colour grey, sometimes more specifically a dark grey colour


西洋山葵

ja-noun

西(せい)洋(よう)山葵(わさび) or 西洋山葵(セイヨウワサビ) • (seiyō wasabi) ^(←せいやうわさび (seiyauwasabi)?)

西洋山葵 (canonical)
西洋山葵 (canonical)
seiyō wasabi (romanization)
seiyauwasabi (romanization)
せいやうわさび (hiragana historical)

Compound of 西洋(せいよう) (seiyō, “Western”) + 山葵(わさび) (wasabi, “wasabi”).


山葵

山葵 (canonical)
山葵 (canonical)
wasabi (romanization)

→ English: wasabi

→ Hokkien: 哇沙米 (oa-sá-bih)

→ Mandarin: 哇沙比 (wāshābǐ)

→ Miyako: 山葵 (wasabi)

*/wasapi/ → /wasabi/
First attested in the Honzō Wamyō (918 CE) with this kanji compound and phonetic spelling of 和佐比.
The kanji reflects where the plant was first observed: 山 (yama, “mountains”), and their leaves resembling 葵 (aoi, “hollyhocks”) or 銭葵 (zeniaoi, “mallows”).

山葵澄まし

grated wasabi mixed with soy sauce and mirin

山葵 葉似葵、故名之、生深山、出崔禹 竜珠 実名也、出孟詵 和名和佐比

c. 918, 深根輔仁 [Fukane Sukehito], 本草和名 [Japanese Names of Herbs, Honzō Wamyō]:

Japanese horseradish
Japanese horseradish

Eutrema japonicum
Wikispecies:Eutrema japonicum

the wasabi plant, the Japanese horseradish (Eutrema japonicum)


斑馬

斑馬 (canonical)
斑馬 (canonical)
shimauma (romanization)

Variant of 縞馬 (shimauma). Orthographic borrowing from Chinese 斑馬 /斑马 (bānmǎ).


頭

Second grade kyōiku kanji (romanization)

饅頭

manjū, a type of bun typically with bean paste filling


頭

Early Middle Japanese
Early Modern Japanese
Kojiki
Late Middle Japanese
Man'yōshū
Nihon Kokugo Daijiten
Old Japanese language

From Old Japanese. Found as a standalone noun in the Man'yōshū, completed some time after 759 CE, and as a counter in the Kojiki, dating to 712 CE.


頭

Cantonese language
Mandarin language
Middle Chinese language
Min Nan language
Nihon Kokugo Daijiten

From Middle Chinese 頭 (MC duw). The kan'on reading, so likely a later borrowing. The shift from initial /d/ to voiceless /t/ is due to influence or reborrowing from a later stage of the Chinese language. Compare modern Mandarin reading tóu, Cantonese tau⁴, Min Nan tao⁵.

合わせて 1300 頭余りが出荷され、全国各地に流通した。

Awasete sensanbyaku tō amari ga shukka sare, zenkoku kakuchi ni ryūtsū shita.

Altogether over 1300 head of cattle have been distributed throughout the country.

三頭の北極熊

一頭の羊

counter for certain relatively large animals, or for livestock animals; "head"


タバコ

タバコ (canonical)
たばこ (canonical)
tabako (romanization)

→ Early Modern Korean: 담파고 (tamphakwo)

→ Ainu: タンパク (tampaku)

ja:たばこ ja:タバコ


煙草

煙草 (canonical)
ensō (romanization)
ensau (romanization)
えんさう (hiragana historical)


飛び子

From 飛魚(トビウオ) (tobiuo), flying fish) + 子 (child)


チューリップ

[t͡ɕɨːɾʲip̚pɯ̟]

Borrowed from English tulip, from French tulipe.


蜜蜂

蜜蜂 (canonical)
蜜蜂 (canonical)
mitsubachi (romanization)

Compound of 蜜 (mitsu, “honey”) + 蜂 (hachi, “bee”). The hachi changes to bachi as an instance of rendaku (連濁).


蜘蛛

蜘蛛 (canonical)
蜘蛛 (canonical)
kumo (romanization)

From Old Japanese. Found in the Man'yōshū, completed in 759 CE.
Ultimate derivation unknown. Various theories exist, including:
* from 籠もる (komoru, “to hide inside something”), from the way that spiders hide in their webs
* from 組む (kumu, “to bundle something together”), from the way that spiders wrap up caught insects
* from 雲 (kumo, “cloud”), from the way that spider webs may look vaguely like clouds
* from reconstructed Proto-Japonic *konpo, *konbo (“spider”); possibly cognate with Kagoshima こっ koʔ (< kobu) "spider"; Tanegashima こぶ kobu "large spider"; Amami (Setouchi) こぶ kobu; Okinawan くーばー kuuba; Yonaguni くぶ kubu "spider", etc. If true, then 蜘蛛 (kumo, “spider”) would be unrelated to 雲 (kumo, “cloud”), whose proto-form was likely *kumo, as suggested by Okinawan くむ kumu, Yonaguni んむ nmu, Kunigami and Yoron ふむ fumu.
May ultimately be cognate with Korean 거미 (geomi, “spider”). The kanji are an orthographic borrowing from Chinese 蜘蛛 (zhīzhū).

蜘蛛 楊玄操、知誅二音 一名䖦𬠴_(仁諝、拙牟二音) 一名絡新婦_(赤班者) 一名蠨蛸_(仁諝、上音蕭、所交反、下本條) 𧋌_(音秋) 一名蝳蜍_(毒途二音) 一名社公 一名張公網 一名蝃蝥_(拙牟二音、已上五名、出兼名苑) 一名長蝥_(身小足長、出古今注) 和名久毛

芥川龍之介, 蜘蛛の糸
御釈迦様は地獄の容子を御覧になりながら、この犍陀多には蜘蛛を助けた事があるのを御思い出しになりました。
O-shaka-sama wa jigoku no yōsu o goran ni narinagara, kono Kandata ni wa kumo o tasuketa koto ga aru no o o-omoidashi ni narimashita.
While observing the state of Hell, Shakyamuni recalled that this Kandata had once spared a spider.

1999 March 27, “蜘蛛(クモ)男(おとこ) [Werespider]”, in Vol.2, Konami:

This giant spider appears to be quite intelligent. It will lock your every movement with its threads.

巨大クモが知恵をつけた姿。糸を吐き動きを封じ込める。

Kyodai kumo ga chie o tsuketa sugata. Ito o haki ugoki o fūjikomeru.

1999 July 22, “ハンター・スパイダー [Hunter Spider]”, in Vol.4, Konami:

It hunts by laying its spiderweb traps, and it eats whatever gets tangled in them.

クモの巣の罠を仕掛け狩りをする。罠にかかったものは食べてしまう。

Kumo no su no wana o shikakekari o suru. Wana ni kakatta mono wa tabete shimau.

三番叟蜘蛛

三番叟蜘蛛 さんばそうぐも

真正蜘蛛目

真正蜘蛛目 しんせいくももく


蝙蝠

ja-noun

蝙蝠(こうもり) or 蝙蝠(コウモリ) • (kōmori) ^(←かうもり (kaumori)?)

蝙蝠 (canonical)
蝙蝠 (canonical)
kōmori (romanization)
kaumori (romanization)
かうもり (hiragana historical)

鳥無き里の蝙蝠

in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king; bat in a birdless village

/kapapori/ → /kafabori/ → /kawabori/ → /kaumori/ → /kɔːmori/ → /koːmori/
Alteration of kawahori, or kawabori (see below).
Orthographic borrowing from Chinese 蝙蝠.

1999 May 25, “バット [Bat]”, in BOOSTER 2, Konami:

A mecha-bat that drops bombs from its two wings.

左右のハネに搭載された爆弾を落としてくるメカコウモリ。

Sayū no hane ni tōsai sareta bakudan o otoshite kuru meka-kōmori.

a bat (small flying mammal of order Chiroptera)

1963, “明日があるさ”, 青島幸男 (lyrics)performed by 坂本九:

ぬれてるあの娘コウモリへ
さそってあげよと待っている

nureteru ano ko kōmori he
sasotte ageyo to matteiru

Short for 蝙蝠傘 (kōmori-gasa): a Western-style umbrella

Short for 蝙蝠羽織 (kōmori-baori): a haori with long sleeves similar to the wings of a bat


蝙蝠

蝙蝠(かわほり) • (kawahori) ^(←かはほり (kafafori)?)

蝙蝠 (canonical)
kawahori (romanization)
kafafori (romanization)
かはほり (hiragana historical)
かわぼり (alternative hiragana)
kawabori (Rōmaji alternative hiragana)
かはぼり (alternative hiragana historical)

/kapapori/ → /kafafori/ → /kawahori/
From Old Japanese. First attested in the Nihon Shoki of 720 CE.
Ultimate derivation unclear, appears to be derived from a compound.
Likely from 皮, 革 (kawa, “leather, skin”) + an unknown component hori.
Orthographic borrowing from Chinese 蝙蝠.

(archaic) a bat (small flying mammal of order Chiroptera)

Short for 蝙蝠扇 (kawahori-ōgi): a paper folding fan

Short for 蝙蝠羽織 (kawahori-baori): a haori with long sleeves similar to the wings of a bat


蝙蝠

[hẽ̞mpɯ̟kɯ̟]


黒猩々

黒猩々 (canonical)
kuroshōjō (romanization)


狒々

狒々 (canonical)
狒々 (canonical)
hihi (romanization)


麒麟

麒麟 (canonical)
麒麟 (canonical)
kirin (romanization)

From Old Japanese, in turn from Middle Chinese 麒麟 (MC gi lin). First cited in Japanese to the Nihon Shoki of 720.
The giraffe sense was probably based on a superficial resemblance between certain depictions of the mythical beast and the patterning and body shape of the real animal: a tailed, hoofed, and horned quadruped with a vaguely leopard-like spot pattern. First cited in Japanese to a text from 1798.

2010 May 23, Gosho Aoyama, “ＦＩＬＥ(ファイル).５(ご) [青](せい)[龍](りゅう) [FILE 5: Azure Dragon]”, in 名(めい)探(たん)偵(てい)コナン [Legendary Detective Conan], volume 68 (fiction), Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN:

That’s giraffe(kirin) the animal! The qilin(kirin) we’re talking about… has a deer-like body covered in golden scales, with a cow’s tail and a horse’s hooves, and with a single horn growing from its dragonish head… It’s a mythical beast from Chinese legends!

それは動物のキリン！問題の麒麟は…全身が黄色い鱗で覆われていて、姿は鹿、牛の尾と馬の蹄を持ち、龍に似た頭から１本角が生えてる…中国の伝説上の神獣だよ！

Sore wa dōbutsu no kirin! Mondai no kirin wa… Zenshin ga kiiroi uroko de ōwarete ite, sugata wa shika, ushi no o to uma no hizume o mochi, ryū ni nita atama kara ippon tsuno ga haete ru… Chūgoku no densetsu jō no shinjū da yo!

麒麟, 騏驎: (mythology, Chinese mythology) a qilin

麒麟, 騏驎: (shogi) the kirin, a piece in chūshōgi and larger shogi variants


モンキー

モンキー • (monkī)


海豚

海豚 (canonical)
海豚 (canonical)
iruka (romanization)

From Old Japanese. Attested in the Kojiki of 712 CE with the phonetic spelling 入鹿魚.
Further etymology Uncertain. One of the possible native-Japanese theories is that this was originally a compound of Old Japanese elements 魚 (iwo, “fish”) + 食 (uka, “food, something used as food”), with the following sound shifts.
:/iwo uka/ → /iru uka/ → /iruka/
Another possibility is that it was a borrowing from Ainu. Compare Sakhalin Ainu リク (riku), イリク (iriku), or Kuril Ainu リカ (rika, “whale”). Given the unlikely sound shift required for the Old Japanese derivation and the lack of cognates in the Ryukyuan languages (see Proto-Ryukyuan *peto), an origin from Ainu seems more likely.
The spelling 海豚, which literally means “sea pig”, is from Chinese 海豚 (hǎitún).


西瓜

ja-noun

西(すい)瓜(か) or 西瓜(スイカ) • (suika) ^(←すいくわ (suikwa)?)

西瓜 (canonical)
西瓜 (canonical)
suika (romanization)
suikwa (romanization)
すいくわ (hiragana historical)

From Middle Chinese 西瓜 (MC sej kwae, literally “west melon”). Compare modern Mandarin 西瓜 (xīguā, “watermelon”). Sui is the 唐音 (tōon) of 西. There is an alternative spelling of 水瓜, which may be seen as both ateji and a calque of English watermelon.
Various Japanese references indicate that the fruit was imported from China in the early Edo period in the 1600s. However, the word is first attested in Japanese in a text from the 1360s, suggesting that the fruit was originally imported earlier, but did not become more widely known until the 1600s.

ltc-l

Daijisen#Online_search_engines
Edo period
Kōjien
Nihon Kokugo Daijiten
Shinmura Izuru
ja:西瓜

西瓜糖

watermelon sugar, sugar made by concentrating watermelon juice

西瓜割り

a traditional Japanese game that involves splitting a watermelon with a stick whilst blindfolded


花粉

花粉 (canonical)
kafun (romanization)
kwafun (romanization)
くわふん (hiragana historical)

1999 July 22, “マグナム・リリィ [Magnum Lily]”, in Vol.4, Konami:

These lilies are also guns, and they attack opponents by shooting out pollen bullets.

いわゆるてっぽうユリ。花粉の弾を飛ばし相手を攻撃する。

Iwayuru teppō yuri. Kafun no tama o tobashi aite o kōgeki suru.


海星

海星 (canonical)
海星 (canonical)
hitode (romanization)

From 人(ひと)手(で) (hitode, literally “human hand”). The kanji are jukujikun (熟字訓), from Chinese 海星 (hǎixīng, literally “sea star”).

der

1999 February 4, “ヒトデンチャク [Starnemone]”, in Vol.1, Konami:

A frenzied starfish dwelling in polluted water. It spits liquefying fluid from its mouth.

汚染された水で狂暴化したヒトデ。口から溶解液をはく。

Osen sareta mizu de kyōbōka shita hitode. Kuchi kara yōkaieki o haku.

1999 May 27, “アーマード・スターフィッシュ [Armored Starfish]”, in Vol.3, Konami:

A bluish starfish that looks like it should have relatively high defense strength.

表面がかたく守備力が比較的高い、青っぽいヒトデ。

Hyōmen ga kataku shubiryoku ga hikakuteki takai, aoppoi hitode.


縞鯵

縞鯵 (canonical)
縞鯵 (canonical)
shimaaji (romanization)

縞(しま) (shima, “stripe”) + 鯵(あじ) (aji, “horse mackerel”)

ja-compound

trevally, striped jack, Pseudocaranx dentex (a kind of fish used in sushi)


椎茸

ja-noun

椎(しい)茸(たけ) or 椎茸(シイタケ) • (shītake) ^(←しひたけ (sifitake) or シヒタケ (sifitake)?)

椎茸 (canonical)
椎茸 (canonical)
shītake (romanization)
sifitake (romanization)
しひたけ (hiragana historical)
シヒタケ (hiragana historical)

→ English: shiitake

Compound of 椎 (shī, “shii or chinquapin tree”) + 茸 (take, “mushroom”), as the mushroom is typically found on logs from the shii or chinquapin tree.
First cited to 1419.

com

Lentinula edodes
Lentinula edodes#Translingual

shiitake, a type of edible mushroom (Lentinula edodes)

Daijisen#Online_search_engines
Nihon Kokugo Daijiten
Shiitake
ja:シイタケ


海苔

English: nori

From Old Japanese. Ultimately from Proto-Japonic *nǝri. The kanji are jukujikun (熟字訓).


大蒜

ja-noun

大(おお)蒜(びる) • (ōbiru) ^(←おほびる (ofobiru)?)

大蒜 (canonical)
ōbiru (romanization)
ofobiru (romanization)
おほびる (hiragana historical)


河馬

河馬 (canonical)
河馬 (canonical)
kaba (romanization)

Calque of Dutch revierpaard, obsolete form of rivierpaard (literally “river horse”), attested in the Doeff-Halma Dictionary, mainly edited in 1816-1817 and published in 1833 (scan available here).

コビトカバ

pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis)


熊猫

熊猫 (canonical)
熊猫 (canonical)
kumaneko (romanization)


バナナ

バナナ or バナヽ or ばなな • (banana) (counter 本)

バナナ (canonical)
バナヽ (canonical)
ばなな (canonical)
banana (romanization)
本 (counter)


金魚

金魚 (canonical)
金魚 (canonical)
kingyo (romanization)


海獺

海獺 (canonical)
海獺 (canonical)
rakko (romanization)

Borrowing from Ainu ラッコ (rakko, “otter”). The kanji spelling is from Chinese 海獺 /海獭 (hǎitǎ), and is jukujikun (熟字訓).

獺: an otter

usually refers to a river otter, but can also refer to a sea otter; rakko is more common for a sea otter


海獺

[ɯ̟mʲiɯ̟so̞]

Compound of 海 (umi, “sea”) + 獺 (uso, “otter”); see 川獺 (kawauso). Possibly from the superficial similarities between sea otters and (particularly young) sea lions.


海獺

海(うみ)獺(おそ) • (umioso) ^(←うみをそ (umiwoso)?)

海獺 (canonical)
umioso (romanization)
umiwoso (romanization)
うみをそ (hiragana historical)

/umiwoso/ → /umioso/
Rare variant of umiuso above. May be the original form.


海獺

From Middle Chinese 海獺 /海獭 (xoj^X that, literally “sea + otter”). Compare modern Cantonese reading hoi² caat³.
Note that the meaning diverged in Japanese from the original Chinese sense. See umiuso above for more.


海獺

Rare variant of kaitatsu above, using the 慣用音 (kan'yōon) of datsu for the 獺 character.


にゃ

The hiragana syllable にゃ (nya). Its equivalent in katakana is ニャ (nya).


がらがら蛇

がらがら蛇 (canonical)
がらがら蛇 (canonical)
garagarahebi (romanization)

[ɡa̠ɾa̠ɡa̠ɾa̠he̞bʲi]

がらがら (garagara, the sound of clattering) + 蛇 (hebi, “snake”)


ほしい

hoshii (romanization)
fosifi (romanization)
ほしひ (hiragana historical)

Daijirin
Daijisen#Online_search_engines
Nihon Kokugo Daijiten
Nihon Shoki
Old_Japanese#Morphophonemics
ja:糒

/hosi ipi/ → /hosipi/ → /hosifi/ → /hoɕifi/ → /hoɕiː/
Shift from ほしいい (hoshiī) due to the prohibition in Old Japanese against word-medial vowel clusters. (See Old_Japanese#Morphophonemics at Wikipedia.)
Ultimately a compound of 干し (hoshi, “drying; dried”, the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “continuative or stem form”) of verb 干す (hosu, “to dry, to air out”)) + 飯 (ī, “cooked grain (usually rice)”).
First cited in the Nihon Shoki of 720.

1883, 雨森芳洲 (Amenomori Hōshū), “飲食”, in 浦瀬裕, editor, 再刊交隣須知 (Saikan kōrin suchi)^(NDL NLK), 外務省 edition, volume 3:

糗ホシイニ白砂糖ヲマゼテダセ

Hattai Hoshii ni shirozatō o mazete dase

Parched rice: Stir a little white sugar into the parched rice and serve it

糗 강(乾)밥에^([SIC]) 셜당(雪糖)을 타셔 내여라

dried rice (after already being cooked once)


毒蛇

From Middle Chinese compound 毒蛇 (MC dowk zyae, literally “poison + snake”). Compare modern Mandarin reading dúshé, Cantonese duk⁶ se⁴.

ltc-l

a game piece in dai dai shogi and taikyoku shogi


柑橘

ja-noun

柑(かん)橘(きつ) • (kankitsu) ^(←かんきつ (kankitu)?)

柑橘 (canonical)
kankitsu (romanization)
kankitu (romanization)
かんきつ (hiragana historical)

[kã̠ŋʲkʲit͡sɨ]


桂花

桂花 (canonical)
keika (romanization)
keikwa (romanization)
けいくわ (hiragana historical)

*/kweːkwa/ → /keːkwa/ → /keːka/
From Middle Chinese compound 桂花 (kueiᴴ xwæ, literally “cassia; osmanthus + flower”). Compare modern Min Nan reading kùi-hoe.

桂花茶

sweet osmanthus tea, a tea flavored with sweet osmanthus blossoms

桂花醤

sweet osmanthus sauce, a sweet sauce flavored with sweet osmanthus blossoms

桂花陳酒

桂花陳酒 けいかちんしゅ

sweet osmanthus wine, an aged white wine flavored with sweet osmanthus blossoms


卵白

[ɾã̠mpa̠kɯ̟]


木耳

木耳 (canonical)
木耳 (canonical)
kikurage (romanization)

[kʲikɯ̟ɾa̠ɡe̞]

Compound of 木(き) (ki, “tree”) + 水母(くらげ) (kurage, “jellyfish”). The kanji are jukujikun (熟字訓), either from the fungus's shape or from Chinese.

ja-compound

Auricularia auricula-judae
Auricularia auricula-judae#Translingual

wood ear, jelly ear, Jew's ear (Auricularia auricula-judae)


柚子

yuzu or Japanese citron, a citrus fruit similar to a grapefruit, Citrus junos


動物

ja-noun

動(どう)物(ぶつ) • (dōbutsu) ^(←だうぶつ (daubutu)?)

動物 (canonical)
dōbutsu (romanization)
daubutu (romanization)
だうぶつ (hiragana historical)

愛玩動物

愛玩動物 あいがんどうぶつ

温血動物

温血動物 おんけつどうぶつ

海生動物

海生動物 かいせいどうぶつ

環形動物: annelid

環形動物 かんけいどうぶつ

節足動物: arthropod

節足動物 せっそくどうぶつ

動物愛護協会 どうぶつあいごきょうかい

動物愛護協会: Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

動物愛護法

動物愛護法 どうぶつあいごほう

動物実験

動物実験 どうぶつじっけん

動物崇拝: zoolatry

動物崇拝 どうぶつすうはい

動物心理学

動物心理学 どうぶつしんりがく

動物病院

動物病院 どうぶつびょういん

軟体動物

軟体動物 なんたいどうぶつ

変温動物

変温動物 へんおんどうぶつ

脊椎動物

脊椎動物 せきついどうぶつ

無脊椎動物: invertebrate

無脊椎動物 むせきついどうぶつ

有蹄動物: ungulate

有蹄動物 ゆうていどうぶつ

草食動物: a herbivore

草食動物 そうしょくどうぶつ

肉食動物

肉食動物 にくしょくどうぶつ


茄子

茄子 (canonical)
茄子 (canonical)
nasu (romanization)

/nasubi/ → */nasubʉ/*/nasumɨ/ → /nasumʉ/ → /nasuː/ → /nasu/
First attested in the late 1400s, originally a nyōbō kotoba term.
Shift from nasubi below.

Solanum melongena
Solanum melongena#Translingual

Solanum melongena, the eggplant or aubergine


茄子

茄子 (canonical)
茄子 (canonical)
nasubi (romanization)

親の意見と茄子の花は千に一つも無駄はない

oya no iken to nasubi no hana wa sen ni hitotsu mo muda wa nai

First attested in the Wamyō Ruijushō (938 CE).
Various theories exist regarding the ultimate derivation:
* Shift from a compound of なす (nasu, “to become”, transitive) + 実 (mi, “fruit”)
* Same as above, but with the なす part being a loanword or substrate word of Kra-Dai or Austronesian origin, compare Wu 落蘇 /落苏 (⁸loq-su₁), Teochew 落蘇 /落苏 (lag⁸ sou¹), Zhuang lwggwz and Paiwan [Term?] (lasaras)
* Shift from 夏の実 (natsu no mi, literally “summer fruit”).
Orthographic borrowing from Chinese 茄子 (qiézi).

珊瑚樹茄子

珊瑚樹茄子 さんごじゅなす

(archaic) Solanum melongena, the eggplant or aubergine

a 家紋 (kamon, “family crest”) with designs of eggplant fruits, flowers, and leaves


もく

(The following entry is uncreated: 黙.)
Reversal of くも (kumo, “cloud”), from the way cigarette smoke looks like clouds.


苹果

苹果 (canonical)
heika (romanization)
feikwa (romanization)
へいくわ (hiragana historical)


苹果

ja-noun

苹(ひょう)果(か) • (hyōka) ^(←ひやうくわ (fyaukwa)?)

苹果 (canonical)
hyōka (romanization)
fyaukwa (romanization)
ひやうくわ (hiragana historical)


鸚鵡

鸚(おう)鵡(む) or 鸚鵡(オウム) • (ōmu) ^(←あうむ (aumu)?)

鸚鵡 (canonical)
鸚鵡 (canonical)
ōmu (romanization)
aumu (romanization)
あうむ (hiragana historical)


狐狸

安んぞ狐狸を問わん

sairō michi ni atareri, izukunzo kori o towan


果物

Literally “tree's thing”. Originally a compound of 木 (ku, “tree”, shift from ancient ko pronunciation) + だ (da, possessive marker between two nouns, only found in a few compounds) + 物 (mono, “thing”).
The medial da is also seen in 獣 (kedamono, “beast”, literally “hairy thing”). The kanji is jukujikun (熟字訓).

compound

edible fruit that grows on trees or shrubs, such as oranges and apples, or sweet edible fruit that grows along the ground, such as strawberries and melons

果物急ぎ: the act of often taking something from a selection of fruit

other sweets put out at a social gathering

a person who is quick to take items from such a selection


果物

ja-noun

果(か)物(ぶつ) • (kabutsu) ^(←くわぶつ (kwabutu)?)

果物 (canonical)
kabutsu (romanization)
kwabutu (romanization)
くわぶつ (hiragana historical)

/kwabut͡su/ → /kabut͡su/
Possibly from Middle Chinese compound 果物 (*kuɑ *miuət, literally “fruit thing”). Compare modern Mandarin 果物 reading guǒwù (rare), Cantonese gwo² mat⁶ (rare).
Rarely used in modern Japanese.


からす

ja-verb

からす • (karasu) transitive godan (stem からし (karashi), past からした (karashita))

karasu (romanization)
からし (stem)
からした (past)
からさ
karasa
からし
karashi
からす
karasu
からせ
karase
からされる (passive)
karasareru (passive)
からさせる (causative)
からさす (causative)
karasaseru (causative)
karasasu (causative)
からせる (potential)
karaseru (potential)
からそう (volitional)
karasō (volitional)
からさない (negative)
karasanai (negative)
からさず (continuative negative)
karasazu (continuative negative)
からします (formal)
karashimasu (formal)
からした (perfective)
karashita (perfective)
からして (conjunctive)
karashite (conjunctive)
からせば (conditional hypothetical)
karaseba (conditional hypothetical)
からさ (irrealis stem)
karasa (irrealis stem)
からし (continuative stem)
karasi (continuative stem)
からす (stem terminative)
karasu (stem terminative)
からす (attributive stem)
karasu (attributive stem)
からせ (realis stem)
karase (realis stem)
からせ (imperative stem)
karase (imperative stem)
からさず (negative)
karasazu (negative)
からせど (contrastive)
karasedo (contrastive)
からせば (causative)
karaseba (causative)
からさば (conditional)
karasaba (conditional)
からしき (past)
karasiki (past)
からしけり (past)
karasikeri (past)
からしつ (perfect)
karasitu (perfect)
からしぬ (perfect)
karasinu (perfect)
からせり (continuative perfect)
からしたり (continuative perfect)
karaseri (continuative perfect)
karasitari (continuative perfect)
からさむ (volitional)
karasamu (volitional)


苦蓬

苦蓬 (canonical)
苦蓬 (canonical)
nigayomogi (romanization)

苦(にが) (niga, “bitter”) + 蓬(よもぎ) (yomogi, “mugwort”)

ja-compound

Artemisia absinthium
Artemisia absinthium#Translingual

absinthium, common wormwood, Artemisia absinthium


にゃあ

ja-pos

にゃあ or ニャー • (nyā)

にゃあ (canonical)
ニャー (canonical)
nyā (romanization)


イクラ

→ Indonesian: ikura

Borrowed from Russian икра́ (ikrá, “fish eggs, caviar”).
First cited in Japanese in 1928. Appears to have displaced older 鮞 (hararago, “roe, particularly salmon roe”).
May have first been used as a caviar replacement by Russian soldiers during the Russo-Japanese War (1904–05). Introduced to the Japanese market in the mid-1920s at the start of the Shōwa era as a kind of カビア (kabia), the older form of modern キャビア (kyabia, “caviar”).

bor+

salmon roe, salmon eggs (generally refers to roe removed from the ovary)

Nihon Kokugo Daijiten
Russo-Japanese War
Shōwa (1926–1989)


野兎

野兎 (canonical)
野兎 (canonical)
nousagi (romanization)

Compound of 野 (no, “field”) + 兎 (usagi, “rabbit”).


野兎

From Middle Chinese 野兔 (jia^X tʰuoᴴ, “hare”, literally “field + rabbit”). Compare modern Mandarin reading yětù, Min Nan iá-thò.
The 兔 character is the traditional variant of modern Japanese 兎.


三味線

ja-noun

三(しゃ)味(み)線(せん) • (shamisen) ^(←しやみせん (syamisen)?)

三味線 (canonical)
shamisen (romanization)
syamisen (romanization)
しやみせん (hiragana historical)

→ English: shamisen

→ Finnish: shamisen

→ Spanish: shamisen

[ɕa̠mʲisẽ̞ɴ]

The instrument derives from the Okinawan 三線 (sanshin). Originally called 蛇皮線 (jabisen, literally “snakeskin strings”) in Japanese, so named for the way the Okinawan instrument's soundbox is traditionally covered in snakeskin. The traditional jabisen instrument was imported into the Sakai area of Osaka during the Eiroku era (1558–1570), then later modified by biwa luthiers to have the square-shaped shamisen soundbox of today.
The reading jabisen shifted over time to 蛇味線 (jamisen), replacing the 皮 (bi, “skin, leather”) character with 味 (mi) for phonetic reasons, i.e. as ateji (当て字). Then jamisen changed to shamisen, replacing the 蛇 (ja, “snake”) character with 三 (sha , usually read san, “three”) for semantic reasons. The sha reading for the 三 character is irregular.
The shamisen reading is first cited to a text from 1580.

Capsella bursa-pastoris
Capsella bursa-pastoris#Translingual

short for 三味線草 (shamisen-gusa): the shepherd's purse, Capsella bursa-pastoris


哺乳類

[ho̞ɲ̟ɨːɾɯ̟i]

From 哺乳 (honyū, “lactation, nursing”) + 類 (rui, “class or order”).


鳥類

[t͡ɕo̞ːɾɯ̟i]

From 鳥 (chō, “bird”) + 類 (rui, “class or order”).


駱駝

駱駝 (canonical)
駱駝 (canonical)
rakuda (romanization)

1985, Haruki Murakami, 世界の終りとハードボイルド・ワンダーランド [Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World], page 12:

You might even be able to put in a mid-size palm tree and three camels.

ラクダを三頭と中型のやしの木を一本入れることだってできるかもしれない。

Rakuda o santō to chūgata no yashi no ki o ippon ireru koto datte dekiru ka mo shirenai.


綿羊

ja-noun

綿(めん)羊(よう) • (men'yō) ^(←めんやう (men'yau)?)

綿羊 (canonical)
men'yō (romanization)
men'yau (romanization)
めんやう (hiragana historical)

→ Ainu: メンヨ


羚羊

羚(れい)羊(よう) or 羚羊(レイヨウ) • (reiyō) ^(←れいやう (reiyau)?)

羚羊 (canonical)
羚羊 (canonical)
reiyō (romanization)
reiyau (romanization)
れいやう (hiragana historical)

From Middle Chinese compound 羚羊 (língyáng).

麒麟羚羊

麒麟羚羊 きりんれいよう


獅子

獅子 (canonical)
獅子 (canonical)
shishi (romanization)

From Middle Chinese 獅子 (MC srij tsiX, literally “lion + (diminutive suffix)”)

ltc-l

除夜の獅子 除夜の獅子#Japanese

short for 除夜の獅子 (joya no shishi, “New Year's lion”), a person dressed in costume as for a lion dance who goes door to door begging on New Year's Eve


海象

海象 (canonical)
kaizō (romanization)
kaizau (romanization)
かいざう (hiragana historical)

/kaizau/ → /kaizɔː/ → /kaizoː/
From Middle Chinese 海象 (xoj^X zjang^X, literally “sea elephant”). Compare Cantonese 海象 (hoi² zoeng⁶), Vietnamese hải tượng.
The goon reading, so likely the initial borrowing.


蜥蜴

蜥蜴 (canonical)
蜥蜴 (canonical)
tokage (romanization)

Likely a compound of 戸 (to, “door”) + 陰 (kage, “shadow”), possibly from the notion that the lizards live in the shade of doors, or that they live in shadow, especially when indoors, or are thought to be crawling on doors and their dark coloring can be mistaken for their shadow. Alternatively, perhaps from 疾隠 (toku kakure “quickly hiding”) or 敏駆 (tokake “nimble runner”).
Orthographic borrowing from Chinese 蜥蜴 (xīyì).

obor

1999 July 22, “鎧蜥蜴(アーマー・リザード) [Armor Lizard]”, in Vol.4, Konami:

A lizard with a hard body. He bites off things easily with his huge mouth.

かたい体のトカゲ。大きな口で噛みつかれたら、ひとたまりもないぞ。

Katai karada no tokage. Ōkina kuchi de kamitsukaretara, hitotamari mo nai zo.

1999 July 22, “古(こ)代(だい)のトカゲ戦(せん)士(し) [Ancient Lizard Warrior]”, in Vol.4, Konami:

This lizard warrior looks as ancient as he ever has since time immemorial. He is also surprisingly strong.

太古の、昔の姿そのままのトカゲの戦士。意外に強いぞ。

Taiko no, mukashi no sugata sono mama no tokage no senshi. Igai ni tsuyoi zo.

2000 April 1, “ワイバーンの戦(せん)士(し) [Wyvern Warrior]”, in LIMITED EDITION 2, Konami:

A lizard man who excels at swordsmanship. He swings his sword at sound speed.

剣技にすぐれたトカゲ人間。音の速さで剣をふるう。

Kengi ni sugureta tokage ningen. Oto no hayasa de ken o furuu.


大鹿

ja-noun

大(おお)鹿(じか) or 大鹿(オオジカ) • (ōjika) ^(←おほじか (ofozika)?)

大鹿 (canonical)
大鹿 (canonical)
ōjika (romanization)
ofozika (romanization)
おほじか (hiragana historical)

Elk
Moose
Nihon Shoki
ja:ヘラジカ
ja:大鹿 (伊丹市)

From Old Japanese. Analyzable as a compound of 大 (ō, “big”) + 鹿 (shika, “deer”). The shika changes to jika as an instance of rendaku (連濁).
First attested in the Nihon Shoki of 720, with the literal sense of large deer.
The moose or elk (Alces alces) is not native to Japan, and that sense is not attested until much later, in 1884.
And, similar to the confusion in usage of English elk as to whether this refers to Alces alces or Cervus canadensis (also known as the wapiti), the Japanese term too might refer to either.

Cervus canadensis
Cervus canadensis#Translingual


大鹿

ja-pos

大(おお)鹿(じか) • (Ōjika) ^(←おほじか (Ofozika)?)

大鹿 (canonical)
Ōjika (romanization)
Ofozika (romanization)
おほじか (hiragana historical)


大鹿

大(おお)鹿(しか) • (Ōshika) ^(←おほしか (Ofosika)?)

大鹿 (canonical)
Ōshika (romanization)
Ofosika (romanization)
おほしか (hiragana historical)

Compound of 大 (ō, “big”) + 鹿 (shika, “deer”). Appears to be a variation from the ōjika reading.


大鹿

Probably coined in Japan from Middle Chinese-derived components, as a compound of 大 (dai, “great”) + 鹿 (roku, “stag, male deer”).

compound

(shogi) the great stag, a piece in 大局将棋 (taikyoku shogi, a huge chess variant, played on a 36×36 grid)


馴鹿

馴鹿 (canonical)
馴鹿 (canonical)
tonakai (romanization)

Daijisen
Hokkaidō
John Batchelor (missionary)
Nihon Kokugo Daijiten
Sakhalin Ainu language
Sapporo
ja:トナカイ
ja:松村明

Borrowing from Ainu, either トナッカイ (tonakkai, recorded as Sakhalin dialect), or トゥナㇵカィ (tunahkay, listed in contemporary Ainu sources). The kanji are an example of jukujikun (熟字訓), from Chinese 馴鹿 /驯鹿 (xùnlù).

Rangifer tarandus
Rangifer tarandus#Translingual


馴鹿

[d͡ʑɨ̃n̺ɾo̞kɯ̟]

From Middle Chinese 馴鹿 (MC zwin luwk, “tame, docile + deer”). Compare modern Cantonese readings seon⁴ luk⁶, seon⁴ luk⁶⁻², Mandarin xùnlù, xúnlù, Korean 순록 (sullok), and Vietnamese tuần lộc.


鸚哥

鸚哥 (canonical)
鸚哥 (canonical)
inko (romanization)

→ Korean: 잉꼬 (ingkko)

五色青海鸚哥

五色青海鸚哥 ごしきせいがいいんこ

金剛鸚哥

金剛鸚哥 こんごういんこ


爬虫類

[ha̠t͡ɕɨːɾɯ̟i]

From 爬虫 (hachū, “a reptile”) + 類 (rui, “class or order”).


眼鏡蛇

眼鏡蛇 (canonical)
meganehebi (romanization)


高粱

ja-noun

高(こう)粱(りょう) • (kōryō)

コーリャン コーリャン#Japanese

Alternative form of コーリャン (kōryan, “kaoliang”)


蟋蟀

蟋蟀(こおろぎ) or 蟋蟀(コオロギ) • (kōrogi) ^(←こほろぎ (koforogi)?)

蟋蟀 (canonical)
蟋蟀 (canonical)
kōrogi (romanization)
koforogi (romanization)
こほろぎ (hiragana historical)

[ko̞ːɾo̞ɡʲi]

The kanji are jukujikun (熟字訓), from Chinese 蟋蟀 (xīshuài)


蟋蟀

蟋(しっ)蟀(しゅつ) • (shisshutsu) ^(←しつしゆつ (situsyutu)?)

蟋蟀 (canonical)
shisshutsu (romanization)
situsyutu (romanization)
しつしゆつ (hiragana historical)


蟋蟀

蟋(しっ)蟀(しつ) • (shisshitsu) ^(←しつしつ (situsitu)?)

蟋蟀 (canonical)
shisshitsu (romanization)
situsitu (romanization)
しつしつ (hiragana historical)


蟋蟀

蟋蟀 (canonical)
蟋蟀 (canonical)
kirigirisu (romanization)

Alternative spelling of 螽斯 (“Japanese katydid”)


海狸

Probably coined in Japan of Middle Chinese-derived elements.
The beaver is not native to Asia, so this word would have been coined (or repurposed) relatively recently.

(rare) alternate term for ビーバー (bībā): a beaver


海狸

Compound of 海 (umi, “sea, ocean”) + 狸 (tanuki, “tanuki or raccoon dog”). The tanuki changes to danuki as an instance of rendaku (連濁).


飛蝗

飛蝗 (canonical)
飛蝗 (canonical)
batta (romanization)

Likely from Ainu パタ (pata, “locust, grasshopper”). Compare the possibly related Ainu words パタパタㇰセ (patapatakse, “jump about, snap off”) and パッチェ (patche, “fly about, spray, explode”).


秋刀魚

ja-noun

秋刀魚(さんま) or 秋刀魚(サンマ) • (sanma)

秋刀魚 (canonical)
秋刀魚 (canonical)
sanma (romanization)

Uncertain, theories include:
* An alteration from earlier compound 狭 (sa, “narrow”, in reference to the slender body of the fish) + 真魚 (mana, “edible fish”):
*: /samana/ → /samuma/ → /samːa/
* An alternative derivation suggests 狭間 (sama, “narrow space”) + 魚 (na, “fish”, ancient term, and part of the roots of modern reading sakana), where ma again references the narrowness of the fish's body, but this is problematic, as 間 (ma) can only refer to the space between things, not the width of a thing itself.
* Another possibility is that sanma is cognate with 鯖 (saba, “mackerel”). The two kinds of fish are somewhat similar, and sanma is even called mackerel pike in English. In addition, the voiced plosive /b/ sound in modern Japanese appears to have been pre-nasalized in Old Japanese as something closer to /mb/, and there is evidence of /b/ ⇔ /m/ alternation in various terms in Japanese. There is also Ainu サㇺバ (samba, “mackerel”), likely a borrowing either into or from Japanese. This suggests that modern sanma may have arisen as an /m/ ⇔ /b/ alteration of older sanba.
The 秋刀魚 spelling likely arose quite recently in 1922 during the Taisho period, when a popular poem by Haruo Satō used this spelling. It alludes to the fish's harvest season of autumn (秋) and its blade-shaped body (刀).

the Pacific saury or mackerel pike, Cololabis saira

Haruo_Satō_(novelist)
John Batchelor (missionary)
Taisho period


蛞蝓

蛞蝓(なめくじ) or 蛞蝓(ナメクジ) • (namekuji) ^(←なめくぢ (namekudi) or ナメクヂ (namekudi)?)

蛞蝓 (canonical)
蛞蝓 (canonical)
namekuji (romanization)
namekudi (romanization)
なめくぢ (hiragana historical)
ナメクヂ (hiragana historical)


トマト

→ Amis: tomato


貝殻

ja-pos

貝(かい)殻(がら) • (Kaigara) ^(←かひがら (Kafigara)?)

貝殻 (canonical)
Kaigara (romanization)
Kafigara (romanization)
かひがら (hiragana historical)

Compound of 貝(かい) (kai, “shellfish”) + 殻(から) (kara, “shell”). The kara changes to gara as an instance of rendaku (連濁).


人参

ja-noun

人(にん)参(じん) or 人参(ニンジン) • (ninjin) (counter 本)

人参 (canonical)
人参 (canonical)
ninjin (romanization)
本 (counter)

[ɲ̟ĩɲ̟d͡ʑĩɴ]

From Chinese 人參 /人参 (rénshēn, “ginseng”).

高麗人参

高麗人参 コウライニンジン

竹節人参

竹節人参 チクセツニンジン

朝鮮人参

朝鮮人参 チョウセンニンジン

釣鐘人参

釣鐘人参 ツリガネニンジン

松葉人参

松葉人参 マツバニンジン

Daucus carota ssp. sativus
Wikispecies:Daucus carota ssp. sativus


大根

On'yomi form of the native Japanese word 大根(おおね) (ōne).

ja-r

大根(おおね) (ōne)

daikon, a large white variety of radish native to East Asia


蜜柑

Probably from Middle Chinese 蜜柑 (MC mjit kam, literally “honey + citrus”). Compare modern Mandarin reading mìgān.
Obsolete reading.

ltc-l

Citrus unshiu
Citrus unshiu#Translingual

(obsolete) a satsuma tree, a mikan tree: a particular variety of mandarin orange, Citrus unshiu (fruit)

(obsolete) a satsuma (fruit), a mikan: a particular variety of mandarin orange, Citrus unshiu (fruit)


蜜柑

蜜柑 (canonical)
蜜柑 (canonical)
mikan (romanization)

→ Jeju: 미깡 (mikkang)

/mikkan/ → /mikan/
Shift in pronunciation from mikkan above. This change occurred sometime after the 1603 publication of the Japanese-Portuguese Nippo Jisho, which still lists the reading as mikkan.


蝸牛

蝸牛 (canonical)
kagyū (romanization)
kwagiu (romanization)
くわぎう (hiragana historical)

From Middle Chinese compound 蝸牛 /蜗牛 (kwæ ngjuw, literally “snail + cow”).


蝸牛

蝸牛 (canonical)
蝸牛 (canonical)
katatsumuri (romanization)

Alteration of katatsuburi, in turn a compound of 堅 (kata, stem of adjective 固い (katai, “hard”)) + つぶり (tsuburi, “small round thing”, cognate with 頭 (tsuburi, “head”), 粒 (tsubu, “grain or kernel of rice”)).
The kanji spelling is jukujikun (熟字訓).

1999 March 18, “デビルツムリ [Devilsnail]”, in Starter Box(スターターボックス), Konami:

A snail that evolved with the help of dark power. It can move quickly now that it has limbs.

闇の力で進化したカタツムリ。手や足があり、速く動ける。

Yami no chikara de shinka shita katatsumuri. Te ya ashi ga ari, hayaku ugokeru.

2000 April 20, “メカニカルスネイル [Mechanical Snail]”, in Magic Ruler －魔法の支配者－, Konami:

A snail that was mechanically enhanced, which didn’t make it any quicker.

機械に改造されたカタツムリ。しかし、スピードはあまり変わらない。

Kikai ni kaizō sareta katatsumuri. Shikashi, supīdo wa amari kawaranai.


蝸牛

蝸牛 (canonical)
dendenmushi (romanization)

[dẽ̞ndẽ̞mːɯ̟ɕi]

Alteration of ででむし (dedemushi, “snail”), itself a compound of でで (dede, from 出 (de, “come out”), from an old children's nursery rhyme calling for a snail to put out its eyestalks) + 虫 (mushi, “bug”).

薄皮蝸牛

薄皮蝸牛 うすかわまいまい

一条蝸牛

一条蝸牛 ひとすじまいまい


海老

/jepi/ → /jebi/ → /ebi/
Possibly from Old Japanese, first attested in the Honzō Wamyō (918 CE).
Ultimate derivation unclear, with theories including:
* Shift in meaning from ebi, ancient reading of modern 葡萄 (budō, “grape”), from a resemblance in color
* Shift in reading from epige, proposed compound of 良い (ei, “good”) + 髭 (pige → hige, “beard”) from the bearded appearance
* Shift in reading from epige, proposed compound of 江 (e, “inlet, bay”) + 髭 (pige → hige, “beard”) from the bearded appearance
Appears as Yebi in the Nippo Jisho of 1603.
The kanji spelling is jukujikun (熟字訓), in reference to the vague resemblance to a stooped old man. See the kairō reading below.


海老

海老 (canonical)
Kairō (romanization)
Kairau (romanization)
かいらう (hiragana historical)

*/kairau/ → /kairɔː/ → /kairoː/
Probably a coinage in Japan of Middle Chinese-derived elements, as 海 (kai, “sea, ocean”) + 老 (rō, “elder, old person”), in reference to the vague resemblance to a stooped old man.
Appears as Cairǒ in the Nippo Jisho of 1603.


林檎

林檎 (canonical)
林檎 (canonical)
ringo (romanization)

→ Ainu: リンゴ

→ Hakka: 林檎 (lin-ngò)

→ Marshallese: diin̄ko

→ Min Nan: 林檎 (lìn-gò)

/rimʉɡomʉ/ → /riŋɡõː/ → /riŋɡo/
From Middle Chinese 林檎 (MC lim gim).
Originally referred to the Chinese pearleaf crabapple (Malus asiatica) imported from China, it has expanded to mean any apple of the Malus genus.
First cited in 918 in the 本草和名 (Honzō Wamyō, “Japanese names for medicinal plants”).

よく林檎の審査通ったなこれ。

I can't believe this has passed Apple's censorship.

(slang) the company Apple Inc. or its products


蚯蚓

ja-noun

蚯蚓(みみず) or 蚯蚓(ミミズ) or 蚯蚓(めめず) • (mimizu or memezu) (counter 匹)

蚯蚓 (canonical)
蚯蚓 (canonical)
蚯蚓 (canonical)
mimizu (romanization)
memezu (romanization)
匹 (counter)

First cited to the Saibara Uta from the Heian period.
The memezu form is attested from 1650, and is traditionally viewed as a pronunciation shift from mimizu.
Reconstructed as ultimately from Proto-Japonic *memensu, in which case memezu may be a reversion to an older form, also preserved in many dialects. The kanji are jukujikun (熟字訓).

2005 August 9, Hideaki Sorachi, “第(だい)六(ろく)十(じゅう)四(よん)訓(くん:) キャラクターはシルエットだけで読(どく)者(しゃ)に見(み)分(わ)けがつくように描(か)き分(わ)けよう (Dai-rokujūyon Kun: Kyarakutā wa Shiruetto Dake de Dokusha ni Miwake ga Tsuku Yō ni Kakiwakeyō, “Lesson 64: Characters Should Be Drawn So That Readers Can Make Them Out with just the Silhouettes”)”, in 銀魂(ぎんたま) (Gin Tama, “Silver Soul”), volume 8 (fiction), Tokyo: Shueisha, →ISBN:

何言っちゃってんの 迷信だろそんな…

What you talkin’ about? That’s just a superstition…

何言っちゃってんの 迷信だろそんな…


蚯蚓

蚯蚓 (canonical)
kyūin (romanization)
kiuin (romanization)
きういん (hiragana historical)

From Middle Chinese 蚯蚓 (khjuw yin^X). Compare modern Mandarin 蚯蚓 (qiūyǐn).


ワンワン

ワンワン (canonical)
わんわん (canonical)
wanwan (romanization)

[β̞ã̠ɰ̃β̞ã̠ɴ]

Onomatopoeia, reduplication of ワン (wan).


十一

十(じゅう)一(いち) or 十一(ジュウイチ) • (jūichi)

十一 (canonical)
十一 (canonical)
jūichi (romanization)

Japanese numerals#Formal numbers
ja:ジュウイチ

[d͡ʑɨːit͡ɕi]

Hierococcyx hyperythrus
Hierococcyx hyperythrus#Translingual

rufous hawk-cuckoo, Hierococcyx hyperythrus


薔薇

薔薇 (canonical)
薔薇 (canonical)
bara (romanization)

From 茨 (ibara, “bramble, briar”), itself an alteration from earlier reading ubara of the same meaning. The reading mubara appears in Heian period sources, but ubara is older.
The spelling is from Chinese 薔薇 /蔷薇 (qiángwēi).

十六夜薔薇

十六夜薔薇 イザヨイバラ

a thorny flower of the genus Rosa: a rose


薔薇

薔薇 (canonical)
shōbi (romanization)
syaubi (romanization)
しやうび (hiragana historical)

/sʲaubi/ → /ɕʲɔːbi/ → /ɕoːbi/
From Middle Chinese 薔薇 (MC dzjang|srik mij|mj+j, literally “wild rose + kind of fern”).


薔薇

薔薇 (canonical)
sōbi (romanization)
saubi (romanization)
さうび (hiragana historical)

/saubi/ → /sɔːbi/ → /soːbi/
Uses the goon reading of sō for the first character, and the kan'on reading of bi for the second character. Appears to be a shift in reading from shōbi above.


アボカド

From English avocado, from Spanish aguacate.


家畜

livestock; domesticated animals; domestic cattle


鬣犬

ja-noun

鬣(たてがみ)犬(いぬ) or 鬣犬(タテガミイヌ) • (tategamiinu)

鬣犬 (canonical)
鬣犬 (canonical)
tategamiinu (romanization)

Compound of 鬣 (tategami, “standing hair” → “mane”) + 犬 (inu, “dog”). Compare Chinese 鬣狗 (liègǒu).


生き馬

Sum of 生き (iki, “living”) (from 生きる (ikiru, “live”)) and 馬 (uma, “horse”).


明荷馬

the horse ridden by the bride at a wedding


駿逸

ja-noun

駿(しゅん)逸(いつ) • (shun'itsu) ^(←しゆんいつ (syun'itu)?)

駿逸 (canonical)
shun'itsu (romanization)
syun'itu (romanization)
しゆんいつ (hiragana historical)

[ɕɨ̃ɰ̃it͡sɨ]


駟馬

駟馬 (canonical)
駟馬 (canonical)
shiba (romanization)
shime (romanization)


丹頂

丹(たん)頂(ちょう) or 丹頂(タンチョウ) • (tanchō)

丹頂 (canonical)
丹頂 (canonical)
tanchō (romanization)

Grus japonensis
Grus japonensis#Translingual

sacred Japanese crane; red-crested white crane, Grus japonensis


大麻

From Middle Chinese 大麻 (MC dajH|daH mae).


雪豹

雪(ゆき)豹(ひょう) or 雪豹(ユキヒョウ) • (yukihyō) ^(←ゆきへう (yukifeu) or ユキヘウ (yukifeu)?)

雪豹 (canonical)
雪豹 (canonical)
yukihyō (romanization)
yukifeu (romanization)
ゆきへう (hiragana historical)
ユキヘウ (hiragana historical)

[jɯ̟kʲi̥ço̞ː]


秋田犬

秋(あき)田(た) (Akita, “Akita”) + 犬(いぬ) (inu, “dog”)


秋田犬

秋(あき)田(た) (Akita, “Akita”) + 犬(けん) (ken, “dog”)


麻黄

ja-noun

麻(ま)黄(おう) or 麻黄(マオウ) • (maō) ^(←まわう (mawau)?)

麻黄 (canonical)
麻黄 (canonical)
maō (romanization)
mawau (romanization)
まわう (hiragana historical)


甲虫

甲(かぶと)虫(むし) or 甲虫(カブトムシ) • (kabutomushi)

甲虫 (canonical)
甲虫 (canonical)
kabutomushi (romanization)

Japanese rhinoceros beetle (Allomyrina dichotoma)


玫瑰

Synonym of 浜梨 (hama-nasu, “beach rose, Rosa rugosa”)


乾燥野菜

乾(かん)燥(そう)野(や)菜(さい) • (kansōyasai) ^(←かんさうやさい (kansauyasai)?)

乾燥野菜 (canonical)
kansōyasai (romanization)
kansauyasai (romanization)
かんさうやさい (hiragana historical)

From 乾(かん)燥(そう) (kansō, “dehydration”) + 野(や)菜(さい) (yasai, “vegetable”).


水仙

水仙 (canonical)
水仙 (canonical)
suisen (romanization)

narcissus (any of several bulbous flowering plants, of the genus Narcissus)


馬鹿貝

ja-noun

馬(ば)鹿(か)貝(がい) or 馬鹿貝(バカガイ) • (bakagai) ^(←ばかがひ (bakagafi)?)

馬鹿貝 (canonical)
馬鹿貝 (canonical)
bakagai (romanization)
bakagafi (romanization)
ばかがひ (hiragana historical)

Mactra chinensis, a species of trough shell


朝顔

朝顔 (canonical)
朝顔 (canonical)
asagao (romanization)

Min Nan: a-sá-gá-o͘h

Lit. morning face, 朝(あさ) (asa, “morning”) + 顔(がお) (gao, “face”)

ja-compound

Japanese morning glory
Japanese morning glory


くぬぎ

くぬぎ (canonical)
クヌギ (canonical)
kunugi (romanization)
くぬぎ (hiragana historical)

Meronym: どんぐり (donguri, “acorn”)


蜻蜓

蜻蜓 (canonical)
蜻蜓 (canonical)
yanma (romanization)

large dragonfly, specifically hawker (dragonfly of the family Aeshnidae)


蜻蜓

蜻蜓 (canonical)
蜻蜓 (canonical)
seitei (romanization)


蜻蜓

ja-noun

蜻蜓(とんぼう) or 蜻蜓(トンボー) • (tonbō)

蜻蜓 (canonical)
蜻蜓 • (canonical)
蜻蜓 (canonical)
tonbo (romanization)
tonbō (romanization)
used by Bashō (romanization)
とんぼう (hiragana)
トンボー (katakana)


彼岸花

彼(ひ)岸(がん)花(ばな) or 彼岸花(ヒガンバナ) • (higanbana)

彼岸花 (canonical)
彼岸花 (canonical)
higanbana (romanization)

Lycoris radiata
Lycoris radiata#Translingual


曼珠沙華

曼(まん)珠(じゅ)沙(しゃ)華(げ) or 曼珠沙華(マンジュシャゲ) • (manjushage)

曼珠沙華 (canonical)
曼珠沙華 (canonical)
manjushage (romanization)

[mã̠ɲ̟d͡ʑɨɕa̠ɡe̞]

From Literary Chinese 曼珠沙華 (mànzhūshāhuá), from Sanskrit मञ्जूषक (mañjūṣaka).

さあ、夢を 君の全てを
ボクに委ねて
堕落して？ 何処までも落ちて
枯れ行く曼珠沙華

2019, Mafumafu (lyrics and music), “曼珠沙華 [Red Spider Lily]”:

So please, your dreams and all of yourself
Give them to me
Shall we fall, into whatever place
Where the red spider lily falls?

Sā, yume o kimi no subete o
Boku ni yudanete
Daraku shite? Doko made mo ochite
Kareyuku manjushage

Synonym of 彼岸花 (higanbana, “Lycoris radiata (red spider lily)”)


海鼠

海鼠 (canonical)
海鼠 (canonical)
namako (romanization)

Compound of 生 (nama, “raw”) + 海鼠 (ko, “sea cucumber”, ancient usage, see below). Previously spelled 生海鼠, with the 生 (nama) portion explicitly spelled out. The nama portion was likely added to specify sea cucumber eaten raw, in contrast to 煎海鼠 (iriko, literally “roasted sea cucumber”).
First cited in a text from 1781.
The modern spelling is jukujikun (熟字訓), from 海 (“sea”) + 鼠 (“mouse, rat”), possibly due to their backs resembling those of mice or because, like mice, they are active at night crawling.


海鼠

The older term for modern namako. First cited in the ten-volume Wamyō Ruijushō of 934 CE.
Possibly cognate with 子 (ko, “child”, also general noun for small things), perhaps from the way that a sea cucumber will contract into a small ball shape when disturbed.
The spelling is jukujikun (熟字訓), same as above.


海鼠

Compound of Middle Chinese-derived elements 海 (kai, “sea”) + 鼠 (so, “mouse, rat”).
First cited in the 本草和名 (Honzō Wamyō, literally “Japanese Names of Medical Plants”) of 918 CE.


海馬

海馬 (canonical)
海馬 (canonical)
umiuma (romanization)

[ɯ̟mʲiɯ̟ma̠]

Compound of 海(うみ) (umi, “ocean, sea”) + 馬(うま) (uma, “horse”).

ja-com

竜の落とし子 竜の落とし子#Japanese

Synonym of 竜の落とし子 (tatsu no otoshigo, “sea horse”) (fish)


海馬

海馬 (canonical)
海馬 (canonical)
kaiba (romanization)

From Middle Chinese 海馬 (xoj^X mæ^X, literally “sea + horse”). Compare Mandarin 海馬 /海马 (hǎimǎ), Cantonese 海馬 /海马 (hoi2 maa5), Min Nan 海馬 /海马 (hái-bé).

der

竜の落とし子 竜の落とし子#Japanese

(rare) Synonym of 竜の落とし子 (tatsu no otoshigo, “sea horse”) (fish)


海馬

海馬 (canonical)
海馬 (canonical)
todo (romanization)

From Ainu トド (todo), トト (toto, “sea lion”). The kanji is jukujikun (熟字訓).


ニューファンドランド

[ɲ̟ɨːɸã̠ndo̞ɾã̠ndo̞]

ja:ニューファンドランド


ニューファンドランド

[ɲ̟ɨːɸã̠ndo̞ɾã̠ndo̞]

ja:ニューファンドランド


白熊

白熊 (canonical)
白熊 (canonical)
shirokuma (romanization)

From 白 (shiro, “white”) + 熊 (kuma, “bear”). Compare Chinese 白熊 (báixióng), Korean 흰곰 (huin'gom), Vietnamese gấu trắng, all of which literally mean “white bear”.

1990 June 15, Rumiko Takahashi, “PART(パート).５(ご) 秘(ひ)伝(でん)書(しょ)を奪(うば)え [Part 5: Snatching the Scroll of Secrets]”, in らんま½ [Ranma ½], volume 11 (fiction), Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN, page 72:

Why is there… a polar bear on a Japanese mountain!?

日本の山中に…シロクマがいるか—————っ‼

Nippon no sanchū ni… shirokuma ga iru ka—————'‼

Synonym of 北極熊 (Hokkyokuguma, “polar bear”)


枝豆

→ English: edamame

→ German: Edamame

→ Indonesian: edamame

Literally, “stem beans”, 枝(えだ) (eda, “branch, stem”) + 豆(まめ) (mame, “bean”)


茉莉花

ja-noun

茉(まつ)莉(り)花(か) or 茉莉花(マツリカ) • (matsurika)

茉莉花 (canonical)
茉莉花 (canonical)
matsurika (romanization)

茉莉(まつり) (matsuri, “jasmine”) + 花(か) (ka, “flower”)

ja-compound

Jasminum sambac
Jasminum sambac#Translingual


椰子

椰子 (canonical)
椰子 (canonical)
yashi (romanization)

1945, “ラバウル小唄 (Rabauru Kouta)”, 若杉雄三郎 (lyrics):

恋しなつかし あの島見れば
椰子の葉かげに 十字星

koishi natsukashi ano shima mireba
yashi no hakage ni jūjisei

When I see that dear old island,
I see the Southern Cross among the palm leaves' shadows

coconut palm, or more generally, any palm tree


両生類

両生類 (canonical)
ryōseirui (romanization)

[ɾʲo̞ːse̞ːɾɯ̟i]

(biology) amphibia, amphibians, amphibian


魚類

From 魚 (gyo, “fish”) + 類 (rui, “class or order”).

com

軟骨魚類

軟骨魚類 なんこつぎょるい


渡り鳥

渡り鳥 (canonical)
wataridori (romanization)

→ Hokkien: 渡鳥 /渡鸟 (tō͘-chiáu)

[β̞a̠ta̠ɾʲido̞ɾʲi]

From 渡(わた)り (watari, 連(れん)用(よう)形(けい) (ren'yōkei, “stem or continuative form”) of the verb 渡(わた)る (wataru, “to migrate”)) + 鳥(とり) (tori, “bird”).


小麦

小麦 (canonical)
小麦 (canonical)
komugi (romanization)


大麦

ja-noun

大(おお)麦(むぎ) or 大麦(オオムギ) • (ōmugi) ^(←おほむぎ (ofomugi) or オホムギ (ofomugi)?)

大麦 (canonical)
大麦 (canonical)
ōmugi (romanization)
ofomugi (romanization)
おほむぎ (hiragana historical)
オホムギ (hiragana historical)


昆虫

[kõ̞ɲ̟t͡ɕɨː]

1999 March 6, “昆虫人間(ベーシック・インセクト) [Basic Insect]”, in Starter Box(スターターボックス), Konami:

These insects live in swarms. Their paradise is in the forest.

群をなして暮らす昆虫。森の中は彼らの楽園だ。

Mure o nashite kurasu konchū. Mori no naka wa karera no rakuen da.


海胆

海胆 (canonical)
海胆 (canonical)
uni (romanization)


伊勢海老

伊(い)勢(せ)海老(えび) or 伊勢海老(イセエビ) • (ise ebi)

伊勢海老 (canonical)
伊勢海老 (canonical)
ise ebi (romanization)

From 伊勢(いせ) (Ise, a bay in central Japan) + 海老(えび) (ebi, “shrimp”), from its appearance resembling a giant shrimp.
The use of 海老 is an example of jukujikun (熟字訓).

ja-compound

Japanese spiny lobster
Japanese spiny lobster

a Japanese spiny lobster (Panulirus japonicus)


マウス

Computer mouse
Daijirin
Daijisen
Kyōsuke Kindaichi
Mouse
ja:NHK出版
ja:NHK放送文化研究所
ja:マウス
ja:松村明

Borrowed from German Maus, English mouse.


ほうれん草

ja-noun

ほうれん草(そう) or ほうれん草(ソウ) • (hōrensō)

ほうれん草 (canonical)
ほうれん草 (canonical)
hōrensō (romanization)


棘皮動物

棘(きょく)皮(ひ)動(どう)物(ぶつ) • (kyokuhi dōbutsu)

棘皮動物 (canonical)
kyokuhi dōbutsu (romanization)

[kʲo̞kɯ̟çido̞ːbɯ̟t͡sɨ]

棘(きょく) (kyoku, “thorn”) + 皮(ひ) (hi, “skin”) + 動物(どうぶつ) (dōbutsu, “animal”); calque of translingual Echinodermata, from Ancient Greek ἐχῖνος (ekhînos, “hedgehog, sea urchin”) + δέρμα (dérma, “skin”).


オクラ

オクラ (canonical)
おくら (canonical)
okura (romanization)

Borrowed from English okra. Sometimes mistaken as a native word.

Abelmoschus esculentus
Abelmoschus esculentus#Translingual

okra (Abelmoschus esculentus), used as vegetable


ズッキーニ

[d͡zɨk̚ʲkʲiːɲ̟i]

Borrowed from American English zucchini, from Italian zucchini.


盲導犬

From 盲(もう) (mō, “blind”) + 導(どう) (dō, “guide”) + 犬(けん) (ken, “dog”).

ja-com

seeing-eye dog, guide dog (a trained dog for visually impaired person)


マンドリル

[mã̠ndo̞ɾʲiɾɯ̟]


アイアイ

Borrowed from English aye-aye, from French aye-aye.


コブラ

Borrowed from English cobra, from Portuguese cobra.


玉葱

玉葱 (canonical)
玉葱 (canonical)
tamanegi (romanization)

→ Amis: tamaniki

→ Korean: 다마네기 (damanegi)


ピーマン

ja-noun

ピーマン • (pīman)

Bell pepper
Daijisen#Online_search_engines
Kōjien
Nihon Kokugo Daijiten
Shinmura Izuru
ja:ピーマン

Borrowed from French piment (“chili pepper”).
First cited to 1961.


オランウータン

[o̞ɾã̠ɰ̃ɯ̟ːtã̠ɴ]

From English orangutan, from Malay orang utan.


チンパンジー

[t͡ɕĩmpã̠ɲ̟d͡ʑiː]


ティラノサウルス

[tʲiɾa̠no̞sa̠ɯ̟ɾɯ̟sɨ]

Learned borrowing from New Latin Tyrannosaurus


ステゴサウルス

Learned borrowing from New Latin Stegosaurus


ヴェロキラプトル

Learned borrowing from New Latin Velociraptor


脊椎動物

ja-noun

脊(せき)椎(つい)動(どう)物(ぶつ) • (sekitsui dōbutsu)

脊椎動物 (canonical)
sekitsui dōbutsu (romanization)

無脊椎動物

無脊椎動物 むせきついどうぶつ

脊椎(せきつい) (sekitsui, “spine”) + 動物(どうぶつ) (dōbutsu, “animal”).
First appeared in the 斯魯斯氏講義動物学 [Suroisu-shi kōgi dōbutsugaku], 1874:
:脊(せき)椎(つい)動(どう)物(ぶつ) アニマリア、フヱルテブラータ
Sekitsui dōbutsu Animaria, Fueruteburāta
Sekitsui dōbutsu [vertebrate]: Animalia, Vertebrata

ja-x

脊%椎 動%物　アニマリア、フヱルテブラータ

^せき%つい どう%ぶつ　^アニマリア、^フヱルテブラータ

Sekitsui dōbutsu 􂀿vertebrate􂁀: Animalia, Vertebrata


牛蒡

ja-noun

牛(ご)蒡(ぼう) or 牛蒡(ゴボウ) • (gobō) ^(←ごばう (gobau)?)

牛蒡 (canonical)
牛蒡 (canonical)
gobō (romanization)
gobau (romanization)
ごばう (hiragana historical)

Iroha Jiruishō
Nihon Kokugo Daijiten
ja:ゴボウ

Certainly from Middle Chinese 牛蒡 (MC ngjuw pangX), but with a shift from the expected go-on reading of *guhō (or with rendaku as *gubō); compare Korean 우엉 (ueong).
First cited to the Iroha Jiruishō (1177-1181).

Abbreviation of 牛蒡注連 (gobōjime, “a type of 注連縄 (shimenawa) that is bundled with straw and tied like a burdock used for celebrations such as New Years or Shinto shrines”).


アジア象

アジア象(ぞう) or アジア象(ゾウ) • (Ajia zō) ^(←アジアザウ (aziazau)?)

アジア象 (canonical)
アジア象 (canonical)
Ajia zō (romanization)
aziazau (romanization)
アジアザウ (historical katakana)

From アジア (Ajia, “Asia”) + 象 (zō, “elephant”).


インド象

インド象(ぞう) or インド象(ゾウ) • (Indo zō) ^(←インドザウ (indozau)?)

インド象 (canonical)
インド象 (canonical)
Indo zō (romanization)
indozau (romanization)
インドザウ (historical katakana)

From インド (Indo, “India”) + 象 (zō, “elephant”).


アフリカ象

ja-noun

アフリカ象(ぞう) or アフリカ象(ゾウ) • (Afurika zō) ^(←アフリカザウ (afurikazau)?)

アフリカ象 (canonical)
アフリカ象 (canonical)
Afurika zō (romanization)
afurikazau (romanization)
アフリカザウ (historical katakana)

[a̠ɸɯ̟ɾʲika̠ d͡zo̞ː]

From アフリカ (Afurika, “Africa”) + 象 (zō, “elephant”).

com

African savannah elephant
African savannah elephant


野生動物

野生動物 (canonical)
yasei dōbutsu (romanization)


類人猿

ja-noun

類(るい)人(じん)猿(えん) • (ruijin'en) ^(←るいじんゑん (ruizin'wen)?)

類人猿 (canonical)
ruijin'en (romanization)
ruizin'wen (romanization)
るいじんゑん (hiragana historical)

[ɾɯ̟iʑĩɰ̃ẽ̞ɴ]


チェリー

チェリー • (cherī)

cherry (fruit) (mostly used for non-Japanese cherries)


恐竜

恐(きょう)竜(りゅう) • (kyōryū) ^(←きようりゆう (kyouryuu)?)

恐竜 (canonical)
kyōryū (romanization)
kyouryuu (romanization)
きようりゆう (hiragana historical)

Compound of 恐 (kyō, “fearful”) + 竜 (ryū, “dragon”), a calque of New Latin Dinosaurus. Coined by Matajirō Yokoyama (横山又次郎) in 1895.

1939, 小西健二, 天然紀念物調査報告書（南樺太白堊系化石）, 樺太廳, page 80:

小形のトラコドン型恐龍は深い寧ろ廣く短い前額部に於て多分急な頭骨を具ふ。

Kogata no torakodon-gata kyōryū wa fukai mushiro hiroku mijikai zengakubu ni oite tabun kyū na tōkotsu o sonau.

a dinosaur (animal of the clade Dinosauria)

Dinosaur
Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum
ja:恐竜
ja:横山又次郎


霊長類

霊(れい)長(ちょう)類(るい) • (reichōrui) ^(←れいちやうるい (reityaurui)?)

霊長類 (canonical)
reichōrui (romanization)
reityaurui (romanization)
れいちやうるい (hiragana historical)

[ɾe̞ːt͡ɕo̞ːɾɯ̟i]

霊長 (reichō, “supreme being; most advanced entity”) + 類 (-rui, “kind”)


生姜

ja-noun

生(しょう)姜(きょう) • (shōkyō)

生姜末

alternative medicine
alternative medicine

Zingiber officinale
Zingiber officinale#Translingual

(alternative medicine, herbs) ginger root (rhizome of Zingiber officinale used as herbal medicine)


パイナップル

→ Yami: pinapo


バジル

Ocimum basilicum
Ocimum basilicum#Translingual


ウーパールーパー

ウーパールーパー • (ūpā rūpā)

[ɯ̟ːpa̠ː ɾɯ̟ːpa̠ː]

Wasei eigo (和製英語; pseudo-anglicism), derived from wooper + looper, as a substitution for アホロートル (ahorōtoru, “axolotl”) which is a homophone with 阿呆老頭児 (aho rōtoru, literally “stupid old fart”).

pseudo-loan

アホロートル アホロートル#Japanese

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


アニス

Pimpinella anisum
Pimpinella anisum#Translingual


ハーブ

ja-noun

ハーブ • (hābu)


花薄荷

花(はな)薄(はっ)荷(か) or 花薄荷(ハナハッカ) • (hanahakka)

花薄荷 (canonical)
花薄荷 (canonical)
hanahakka (romanization)

From 花 (hana, “flower”) + 薄荷 (hakka, “mint”).


占地

占(しめ)地(じ) or 占地(シメジ) • (shimeji) ^(←しめぢ (simedi)?)

占地 (canonical)
占地 (canonical)
shimeji (romanization)
simedi (romanization)
しめぢ (hiragana historical)


湿地

湿地 (canonical)
shimeji (romanization)
simedi (romanization)
しめぢ (hiragana historical)

Alternative spelling of 占地 (shimeji, “Shimeji mushroom”)


甲殻類

甲殻類 (canonical)
kōkakurui (romanization)


昆虫類

昆虫類 (canonical)
konchūrui (romanization)


百合

百合 (canonical)
百合 (canonical)
yuri (romanization)

→ English: yuri

→ Chinese: 百合 (bǎihé, “yuri”)

desc

→ Korean: 백합(百合) (baekhap, “yuri”), 유리 (yuri, “yuri”)

→ Russian: ю́ри (júri)

→ Ukrainian: ю́рі (júri)

Probably the nominalization of the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “continuative or stem form”) of classical verb 揺る (yuru, “to sway, to swing, to wave back and forth”), from the way that lilies tend to grow tall and sway in the breeze.
The spelling is an orthographic borrowing from Chinese 百合 (bǎihé), indicating the way that lily bulbs cluster together—合わす (awasu, “to gather, combine”)—in large numbers, as in 百 (hyaku, literally “hundred”).
For information on the slang for homosexuality, see Yuri (genre).

笹百合

Japanese or bamboo lily (Lilium japonicum)

a style of 襲の色目 (kasane no irome, “color scheme of layering garments”), featuring a red outer layer and a reddish-gold inner layer, and worn in summer (from the way the color scheme resembles the coloration of the petals of certain varieties of lily)

2015 February 25, “Dansei ga ‘yuri’ (gāruzurabu) ni moeru riyū [The reason men enjoy ‘yuri’ (girls love)]”, in Mainabi News:

だったらむしろ、レズビアンや百合のほうが楽しめるというわけなんです。男性が百合に萌えるのは、性に対するファンタジーなのかもしれません。

Dattara mushiro, rezubian ya yuri no hō ga tanoshimeru to iu wake nan desu. Dansei ga yuri ni moeru no wa, sei ni taisuru fantajī na no kamoshiremasen.

If that's the case, it seems to be the reason that they enjoy lesbians or yuri. That a man fancies yuri, it is likely a sexual fantasy.

(slang) yuri, manga or other media depicting attraction, romance or sexual relationship between women, usually lesbians


百合

traditional Chinese medicine
traditional Chinese medicine

(traditional Chinese medicine) dried lily bulbs used in medicine


菌類

From 菌 (kin, “germ”) + 類 (-rui, “kind”).


香草

香草 (canonical)
kōsō (romanization)
kausau (romanization)
かうさう (hiragana historical)
香草 (canonical)
kagusa (romanization)


節足動物

節足動物 (canonical)
sessokudōbutsu (romanization)


クリスマスツリー

[kɯ̟ɾʲisɨma̠sɨ̥ t͡sɨɾʲiː]

Christmas tree (a tree used during the Christmas holiday season)


啄木鳥

ja-noun

啄木鳥(きつつき) or 啄木鳥(キツツキ) or 啄木鳥(けらつつき) or 啄木鳥(ケラツツキ) • (kitsutsuki or keratsutsuki)

啄木鳥 (canonical)
啄木鳥 (canonical)
啄木鳥 (canonical)
啄木鳥 (canonical)
kitsutsuki (romanization)
keratsutsuki (romanization)

From 木 (ki, ke, “wood”) + 突き (tsutsuki, stem of 突く (tsutsuku, “to poke”)). The kanji is jukujikun (熟字訓).

af

stem of <i class="Jpan mention" lang="ja">突く</i> (tsutsuku, “to poke”)


啄木鳥

ja-noun

啄(たく)木(ぼく)鳥(ちょう) or 啄木鳥(タクボクチョウ) • (takubokuchō) ^(←たくぼくてう (takubokuteu)?)

啄木鳥 (canonical)
啄木鳥 (canonical)
takubokuchō (romanization)
takubokuteu (romanization)
たくぼくてう (hiragana historical)

[ta̠kɯ̟bo̞kɯ̟t͡ɕo̞ː]


雀蜂

雀(すずめ)蜂(ばち) or 雀蜂(スズメバチ) • (suzumebachi)

雀蜂 (canonical)
雀蜂 (canonical)
suzumebachi (romanization)


胡瓜

Probably a compound of 側(そば) (soba, “side”) + 瓜(うり) (uri, “gourd”).


白蟻

白蟻 (canonical)
白蟻 (canonical)
shiroari (romanization)

[ɕiɾo̞a̠ɾʲi]

From 白 (shiro, “white”) + 蟻 (ari, “ant”). Compare English white ant, Chinese 白蟻 /白蚁 (báiyǐ, literally “white ant”), Korean 흰개미 (huin'gaemi, literally “white ant”).


アンチョビ

[ã̠ɲ̟t͡ɕo̞bʲi]

English anchovy, from Spanish anchova, from Ligurian anciôa, from Vulgar Latin *apiuva, from Latin aphyē (“small fry”), from Ancient Greek ἀφύη (aphúē).


穴子

穴子 (canonical)
穴子 (canonical)
anago (romanization)

Korean: 아나고 (anago)

Compound of 穴 (ana, “hole”) + 子 (ko, “child”). The ko changes to go as an instance of rendaku (連濁).


片口鰯

ja-noun

片(かた)口(くち)鰯(いわし) or 片口鰯(カタクチイワシ) • (katakuchi-iwashi)

片口鰯 (canonical)
片口鰯 (canonical)
katakuchi-iwashi (romanization)

片口(かたくち) (katakuchi, “lipped bowl”) + 鰯(いわし) (iwashi, “sardine”)

ja-compound

a Japanese anchovy (Engraulis japonicus)


土佐犬

tosa, tosa inu, Japanese mastiff, Japanese fighting dog (a kind of Japanese dog)


探知犬

探知犬 (canonical)
tanchiken (romanization)

From 探知(たんち, detection) + 犬(いぬ(ケン), dog)


ムール貝

From French moule (“mussel”) + 貝 (kai, “shellfish”). The kai changes to gai as an instance of rendaku (連濁).


聴導犬

hearing dog (a dog trained to assist the deaf)


麻薬犬

麻薬犬 (canonical)
mayakuken (romanization)

麻薬探知犬

麻薬探知犬 まやくたんちけん

麻薬捜査犬

麻薬捜査犬 まやくそうさけん


警察犬

警察犬 (canonical)
keisatsuken (romanization)

警察 (keisatsu, “police”) + 犬 (ken, “dog”)


介助犬

From 介助 (kaijo, “help”) + 犬 (ken, “dog”).

mobility assistance dog
mobility assistance dog


白菜

白菜 (canonical)
白菜 (canonical)
hakusai (romanization)


虹鱒

虹鱒 (canonical)
虹鱒 (canonical)
nijimasu (romanization)

Compound of 虹(にじ) (niji, “rainbow”) + 鱒(ます) (masu, “trout”).


軟体動物

軟体動物 (canonical)
nantai dōbutsu (romanization)

From 軟 (“soft”) + 体 (tai, “body”) + 動物 (dōbutsu, “animal”).

af

a mollusc (soft-bodied invertebrate of phylum Mollusca)


石榴

石榴 (canonical)
石榴 (canonical)
zakuro (romanization)

Iran
Pomegranate
Zagros Mountains
ja:古今和歌六帖
ja:石榴

From Middle Chinese 石榴 (MC dzyek ljuw, literally “stone + pomegranate”). Compare modern Wu reading zaq lieu, Hakka sa̍k-liù.
The zakuro reading is irregular. This may represent a shift in pronunciation from an older borrowing: compare the expected goon reading jakuru. Alternatively, this reading may reflect an ancient sound borrowing, indicating the Zagros Mountains of modern-day Iran, where the pomegranate was originally cultivated.
The spelling 柘榴 is attested in 747 CE. The zakuro reading is attested to at least the late 900s in the 古今和歌六帖 (Kokin Waka Rokujō, “Six Volumes of Waka Poetry of Ancient and Modern Times”).

ltc-l

石榴口

a low door used in bathhouses during the Edo period

石榴鼻

a red swollen nose, often seen on alcoholics


石榴

[d͡ʑa̠kɯ̟ɾo̞]

From Middle Chinese 石榴 (MC dzyek ljuw, literally “stone + pomegranate”). Uses the regular goon reading of jaku for the first character, and the irregular ro reading for the second character instead of the expected goon reading of ru.
The jakuro reading is attested from the mid-1400s. While rare and missing from some dictionaries, this reading is attested more recently in a text from the 1960s.


石榴

ja-noun

石(せき)榴(りゅう) • (sekiryū) ^(←せきりう (sekiriu)?)

石榴 (canonical)
sekiryū (romanization)
sekiriu (romanization)
せきりう (hiragana historical)

[se̞kʲiɾʲɨː]

/sekiriu/ → /sekirjuː/
From Middle Chinese 石榴 (MC dzyek ljuw, literally “stone + pomegranate”). Uses the regular kanon reading of both characters.
The sekiriu reading is attested from the mid-1400s.

石榴子: garnet

gemstone; less common reading than zakuro-ishi above

石榴皮

dried pomegranate, both seed and skin, used as a treatment for tapeworm


葡萄

葡(ぶ)萄(どう) or 葡萄(ブドウ) • (budō) ^(←ぶだう (budau)?)

葡萄 (canonical)
葡萄 (canonical)
budō (romanization)
budau (romanization)
ぶだう (hiragana historical)

From Middle Chinese 葡萄 (buo-dâu) (compare modern Mandarin pútáo), from Bactrian *bādāwa (“wine”).

焦性葡萄酸

焦性葡萄酸 しょうせいぶどうさん

葡萄球菌

葡萄球菌 ぶどうきゅうきん

葡萄栽培

葡萄栽培 ぶどうさいばい


柴犬

Daijisen#Online_search_engines
Nihon Kokugo Daijiten
Shiba Inu
ja:柴犬

Compound of 柴 (shiba, “brushwood”) + 犬 (inu, “dog”), possibly in reference to the dog's small stature and ability to pursue prey even through overgrown terrain.


柴犬

Kōjien
Shiba Inu
Shinmura Izuru
Tochigi Prefecture
ja:柴犬

Compound of 柴 (shiba, “brushwood”) + 犬 (ken, “dog”), using the on'yomi of ken for the second character.


子牛

Compound of 子(こ) (ko, “child”) + 牛(うし) (ushi, “cow”).


マンモス

1999 February 4, “マンモスの墓(はか)場(ば) [Mammoth Graveyard]”, in Vol.1, Konami:

A mammoth that guards the graves of its kind. It will mercilessly fend off grave robbers.

仲間のお墓を守るマンモス。墓荒らしを容赦なく攻撃。

Nakama no ohaka o mamoru manmosu. Hakārashi o yōshanaku kōgeki.

ja:マンモス (曖昧さ回避)


白鳥

ja-noun

白(はく)鳥(ちょう) or 白鳥(ハクチョウ) • (hakuchō) ^(←はくてう (fakuteu) or ハクテウ (fakuteu)?)

白鳥 (canonical)
白鳥 (canonical)
hakuchō (romanization)
fakuteu (romanization)
はくてう (hiragana historical)
ハクテウ (hiragana historical)

[ha̠kɯ̟̊t͡ɕo̞ː]

ja:ハクチョウ
ja:白鳥 (曖昧さ回避)


白鳥

白(しら)鳥(とり) or 白(しろ)鳥(とり) • (shiratori or shirotori)

白鳥 (canonical)
白鳥 (canonical)
shiratori (romanization)
shirotori (romanization)

白 (shira, shiro, “white”) + 鳥 (tori, “bird”)

com

ja:白鳥 (曖昧さ回避)


鮟鱇

ja-noun

鮟(あん)鱇(こう) or 鮟鱇(アンコウ) • (ankō) ^(←あんかう (ankau)?)

鮟鱇 (canonical)
鮟鱇 (canonical)
ankō (romanization)
ankau (romanization)
あんかう (hiragana historical)

/anɡoː/ → /ankoː/
Unknown.
Various theories of the origin of あんこう (ankō) exist, such as from あんぐり (anguri) or あぐり (aguri, “agape, with one's mouth wide open”), perhaps related to Korean 아귀 (agwi, “anglerfish”). The kanji spelling is an Edo-period coinage, found for example in the 1709 biology text 大和本草 (Yamato Honzō, “Japanese Biology”), formed from earlier ateji (当て字) 安康 (ankō) by adding the 魚 /鱼 (yú, “fish”) radical to each of the ateji characters. The current 鮟鱇 form has replaced the earlier 安康 form.


玉ねぎ

玉ねぎ (canonical)
玉ねぎ (canonical)
tamanegi (romanization)

From 玉葱, from 玉 (“ball”) + ねぎ (“scallion, green onion”), literally “ball scallion”.
Note that in Japanese, 葱 (green onion) is the more basic term from which “onion” is derived, while in English it is the reverse – “onion” is basic, while “green onion” is derived from it, reflecting the different importance in cuisine (葱 is more basic to Japanese cuisine, onion is more basic to English cuisine).


網笠茸

ja-noun

網笠茸(あみがさだけ) or 網笠茸(アミガサダケ) • (amigasadake)

網笠茸 (canonical)
網笠茸 (canonical)
amigasadake (romanization)

網笠(あみがさ) (amigasa, “woven hat”) + 茸(たけ) (take, “mushroom”)

ja-compound

morel, Morchella esculenta var. esculenta


海豹

海豹 (canonical)
海豹 (canonical)
azarashi (romanization)

Originally a compound of Old Japanese elements 痣 (aza, “bruise”) + 等 (ra, “lots of”, a pluralizer) + 獣 (shi, “beast”, especially one used for meat). The bruise meaning was in reference to the spotted coat.
The kanji are jukujikun (熟字訓), from Chinese 海豹 (hǎibào, literally “sea leopard”).

der

a seal, specifically the earless seal or true seal

顎鬚海豹

顎鬚海豹 アゴヒゲアザラシ

蟹食海豹

蟹食海豹 カニクイアザラシ

鞍掛海豹

鞍掛海豹 クラカケアザラシ

胡麻斑海豹

胡麻斑海豹 ゴマフアザラシ

頭巾海豹

頭巾海豹 ズキンアザラシ

銭形海豹

銭形海豹 ゼニガタアザラシ

竪琴海豹

竪琴海豹 タテゴトアザラシ

灰色海豹

灰色海豹 ハイイロアザラシ

斑入海豹

斑入海豹 ふいりあざらし

輪紋海豹

輪紋海豹 ワモンアザラシ


海豹

ja-noun

海(かい)豹(ひょう) • (kaihyō) ^(←かいへう (kaifeu)?)

海豹 (canonical)
kaihyō (romanization)
kaifeu (romanization)
かいへう (hiragana historical)

/kaipeu/ → /kaifeu/ → /kaiheu/ → /kaihjoː/
From Middle Chinese 海豹 (hʌi^X pˠauᴴ, literally “sea + leopard”).


一枚貝

一枚貝 (canonical)
ichimaigai (romanization)


真珠貝

真珠貝 (canonical)
shinjugai (romanization)

Compound of 真珠 (shinju, “pearl”) + 貝 (kai, “shell, shellfish”). The kai changes to gai due to rendaku (連濁).


穴熊

穴熊 (canonical)
穴熊 (canonical)
anaguma (romanization)

Compound of 穴 (ana, “hole”) + 熊 (kuma, “bear”). The kuma changes to guma as an instance of rendaku (連濁).


山芋

Compound of 山(やま) (yama, “mountain”) + 芋(いも) (imo, “tuber, potato”).


帆立貝

ja-noun

帆(ほ)立(たて)貝(がい) or 帆立貝(ホタテガイ) • (hotategai)

帆立貝 (canonical)
帆立貝 (canonical)
hotategai (romanization)


オオカミ

オオカミ or おおかみ • (ōkami) ^(←おほかみ (ofokami)?)

オオカミ (canonical)
おおかみ (canonical)
ōkami (romanization)
ofokami (romanization)
おほかみ (hiragana historical)

opokami → oɸokami → owokami → ookami → oːkami. Literally "great god", from 大 (ō, “great”) and 神 (kami, “god”).

犲狼 [...] 説文云、狼、音郎、於保加美、和名二字、本草和名、犲皮、和名於保加美、雄略紀、豺狼二字同訓、貝原氏曰、狼、於保加美 [...]

938, Minamoto no Shitagō, Wamyō Ruijushō, volume 7, page 56:

犲狼: 兼名苑云狼一名犲音於説文云狼音即和名於保加美似犬而銃頭白頬者也爾雅注云獥音叫狼子也

circa 1177-1188, Iroha Jiruishō
狼（オホカミ）

(please add an English translation of this quotation)

狼（ヲヽカミ）


カリフラワー

[ka̠ɾʲiɸɯ̟ɾa̠β̞a̠ː]


鶏卵

From 鶏 (kei, “chicken”) + 卵 (ran, “egg”).


クローバー

クローバー • (kurōbā)

[kɯ̟ɾo̞ːba̠ː]

Clover
Daijisen#Online_search_engines
Nihon Kokugo Daijiten
ja:シャジクソウ属

Borrowed from English clover.
First attested in Japanese in a text from 1907.


卵黄

卵(らん)黄(おう) • (ran'ō) ^(←らんわう (ran'wau)?)

卵黄 (canonical)
ran'ō (romanization)
ran'wau (romanization)
らんわう (hiragana historical)


牡蠣

牡蠣 (canonical)
牡蠣 (canonical)
kaki (romanization)

Probably a shift from either:
* 掻き (kaki, “scratching, scraping”), the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “continuative or stem form”) of verb 掻く (kaku, “to scratch, to scrape”), from the way that oysters are harvested by scraping them off of the oyster bed
* 欠き (kaki, “breaking, chipping”), the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “continuative or stem form”) of verb 欠く (kaku, “to break, to chip”), from the way that one must break or chip an oyster shell to get at the meat
The spelling is from Chinese 牡蠣 /牡蛎 (mǔlì), as an example of jukujikun (熟字訓).


牡蠣

(traditional Chinese medicine) roasted and powdered oyster shell, used in antacids, sedatives, and as a bird feed additive


キーウィ

キーウィ • (kīwi)

ja:キーウィ
ja:キーウィ (鳥)


ライチ

Ultimately from Cantonese 荔枝 (lai6 zi1), probably via English lychee.


マンゴー

マンゴー • (mangō)

Borrowed from English mango, from Portuguese manga, from Malay mangga, from Tamil மாங்காய் (māṅkāy) from மா (mā, “mango species”) + காய் (kāy, “unripe fruit”).
The kanji form 芒果 is phonetic ateji from Chinese 芒果 (mángguǒ).

der

Tamil மாங்காய் (māṅkāy)


土竜

土竜 (canonical)
ugoromochi (romanization)

[ɯ̟ɡo̞ɾo̞mo̞t͡ɕi]

May be the oldest form. Appears with this reading in the 本草和名 (Honzō Wamyō), a pharmacopoeia compiled some time in the years 901–923.
Derived as the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “continuative or stem form”) of verb 墳つ (ugumotsu, uguromotsu, ugomotsu, ugoromotsu, “to become a pile or small hill, as of soil”). See above for further details.

鼹鼠 楊玄操、音偃 一名隠鼠 一名鼢鼠 仁諝、音扶粉反 鼠王 大如水牛下脚、已上三名、出陶景注 鼢鼠 一名□鼠 音務 一名䥫鼠 已上二名、出兼名苑 和名宇古呂毛知

c. 918, 深根輔仁 [Fukane Sukehito], 本草和名 [Japanese Names of Herbs, Honzō Wamyō]:

(obsolete) a mole (burrowing insectivore)


七面鳥

ja-noun

七(しち)面(めん)鳥(ちょう) or 七面鳥(シチメンチョウ) • (shichimenchō) ^(←しちめんてう (sitimenteu) or シチメンテウ (sitimenteu)?)

七面鳥 (canonical)
七面鳥 (canonical)
shichimenchō (romanization)
sitimenteu (romanization)
しちめんてう (hiragana historical)
シチメンテウ (hiragana historical)

[ɕi̥t͡ɕimẽ̞ɲ̟t͡ɕo̞ː]

七 (shichi, “seven”) + 面 (men, “face”) + 鳥 (chō, “bird”)

af

ja:シチメンチョウ ja:シチメンチョウ属


雲雀

雲雀 (canonical)
雲雀 (canonical)
hibari (romanization)

From Old Japanese. Orthographic borrowing from Chinese 雲雀 /云雀 (yúnquè).
Some sources state it is derived from the fact that it chirps on sunny days (日晴り), while others say that it is derived from the sound of its chirping.

obor

Alauda arvensis
Alauda arvensis#Translingual


河豚

河豚 (canonical)
河豚 (canonical)
fugu (romanization)

English: fugu

In light of the older pronunciation fuku, most likely derived from the verb 吹く (fuku, “to blow”), perhaps from the way the fish blow sand to find food. Alternatively, related to the verb 膨れる (fukureru, “to swell up, to expand”). Compare also 복 (bok, “blowfish, pufferfish”).

(slang) a gun (from the way that getting hit may kill)


ベリー

ja-noun

ベリー • (berī)


小鴨

小鴨 (canonical)
小鴨 (canonical)
kogamo (romanization)

Superficially 小(こ) (ko, “small”) + 鴨(かも) (kamo, “duck”). Compare 小杓鴫(コシャクシギ) (koshakushigi, “little curlew, Numenius minutus”), コミチバシリ (komichibashiri, “lesser roadrunner, Geococcyx velox”).

ja-r

teal (freshwater duck of the subfamily Anatinae)


胡蝶蘭

ja-noun

胡(こ)蝶(ちょう)蘭(らん) or 胡蝶蘭(コウチョウラン) • (kochōran or kōchōran)

胡蝶蘭 (canonical)
胡蝶蘭 (canonical)
kochōran (romanization)
kōchōran (romanization)

From 胡蝶(こうちょう) (kōchō, “butterfly”) + 蘭(らん) (ran, “orchid”).

ja-compound

Phalaenopsis aphrodite, a species of moth orchid


胡椒

ja-noun

胡(こ)椒(しょう) or 胡椒(コショウ) • (koshō) ^(←こせう (koseu) or コセウ (koseu)?)

胡椒 (canonical)
胡椒 (canonical)
koshō (romanization)
koseu (romanization)
こせう (hiragana historical)
コセウ (hiragana historical)


蕎麦

蕎麦(そば) or 蕎麦(そばむぎ) or 蕎麦(そまむぎ) • (soba or sobamugi or somamugi)

蕎麦 (canonical)
蕎麦 (canonical)
蕎麦 (canonical)
soba (romanization)
sobamugi (romanization)
somamugi (romanization)
そばむぎ (hiragana)

Kōjien
Nihon Kokugo Daijiten
Shinmura Izuru
Soba
ja:蕎麦

Not attested until the late 1400s, as a shortening of older 蕎麦 (soba mugi, literally “soba grain”).
Two theories exist regarding the ultimate derivation of the soba element:
* Samuel Martin reconstructs soba as Proto-Japonic *sonpa and derives it as a compound of *so (unknown) + *pa (“feather”). The *pa changes to *ₙba as an instance of rendaku (連濁).
* From 稜 (soba, “an edge, a corner”), in reference to the seed of the plant being a triangular oval shape with protruding corners.
Considering the late appearance of soba in isolation with the meaning of buckwheat, and the attested earlier senses of side; corner, edge, Martin's reconstruction seems unlikely.
The kanji spelling is an example of jukujikun (熟字訓), from 蕎 (“buckwheat”) + 麦 (“wheat”).

蕎麦の量が多い


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)
お玉杓子 (canonical)
otamajakushi (romanization)

御(お) (o, honorific prefix) + 玉(たま) (tama, “ball”) + 杓子(しゃくし) (shakushi, “bamboo ladle”)

ja-compound

ja:お玉杓子 ja:オタマジャクシ


朱鷺

The spelling is from Chinese 朱鷺 /朱鹭 (zhūlù, literally “vermilion + heron, egret”, in reference to the red of the bird's head and otherwise white plumage).
Ultimately from Middle Chinese 朱鷺 (MC tsyu luH) (literally “vermilion + heron, egret”, in reference to the red of the bird's head and otherwise white plumage).
First cited to the early 1700s.

der

Nipponia nippon
Nipponia nippon#Translingual


朱鷺

Compound of 朱 (aka, “red”) + 鷺 (sagi, “heron, egret”).
First cited to the early 1800s.


ペルシャ

ja:ペルシャ (ネコ)


カンガルー

[kã̠ŋɡa̠ɾɯ̟ː]

From English kangaroo, from Guugu Yimidhirr gangurru (“eastern grey kangaroo”).


馬鈴薯

[ba̠ɾe̞ːɕo̞]

It has been suggested that 馬鈴 (barei) may be an ateji for Malay, but the earliest attestation in Japanese sources is found in Tetsuen Shōtoku (耋筵小牘, 1808) where the Japanese herbalist Ono Ranzan (小野蘭山) clearly indicates that the term is taken from a Chinese source, the Gazetteer of Songxi County (松溪縣志, 1700). However, the Chinese term should refer to air potato (Dioscorea bulbifera) instead of potato, as it is desribed as a tree climber with blackish tubers tasting bitterish. The name is probably an allusion to the way the bulbils of air potato look like bells used in the tack for horses. Ono Ranzan misapplied the name to potato, and this altered denotation, in spite of strong criticisms from the botanist Makino Tomitaro (牧野富太郎), prevailed over the original meaning (Xiang, 2018).

Solanum tuberosum
Solanum tuberosum#Translingual

馬鈴薯澱粉

馬鈴薯澱粉 ばれいしょでんぷん


桜ん坊

ja-noun

桜(さくら)ん坊(ぼう) or 桜(さくら)ん坊(ぼ) or 桜(サクラ)ん坊(ボ) • (sakuranbō or sakuranbo) ^(←さくらんばう (sakuranbau)?)

桜ん坊 (canonical)
桜ん坊 (canonical)
桜ん坊 (canonical)
sakuranbō (romanization)
sakuranbo (romanization)
sakuranbau (romanization)
さくらんばう (hiragana historical)

[sa̠kɯ̟ɾã̠mbo̞ː]

/sakuranbau/ → /sakuranbɔː/ → /sakuranboː/
Etymology unclear. Leading theories include:
* Compound of 桜 (sakura, “cherry, cherry tree”) + の (no, possessive particle) + 坊 (bō, “boy, monk”, in reference to the tradition of shaven heads, indicating the smooth skin of the cherry fruit)
* Compound of 桜 (sakura, “cherry, cherry tree”) + 桃 (momo, “peach”, in reference to fruit in general; with a phonetic shift from /m/ to /b/ and shift from /bobo/ to /boː/)
Given the historical reading of sakuranbau, matching the historical bau reading of 坊, the initial derivation seems more likely.
The sakuranbō represents a regular historical shift from older sakuranbau. Sakuranbō with the long ō has been somewhat superseded in modern Japanese by the shortened reading sakuranbo.
The alternative 桜桃 spelling is an example of jukujikun, from Middle Chinese 櫻桃 (ʔˠɛŋ dɑu).

affix

(fruit) cherry (mostly used for Japanese cherries)


楊梅

Morella rubra
Morella rubra#Translingual

Myrica rubra (⇒ Morella rubra); yangmei, Japanese bayberry; Chinese bayberry


鳳仙花

ja-noun

鳳(ほう)仙(せん)花(か) or 鳳仙花(ホウセンカ) • (hōsenka)

鳳仙花 (canonical)
鳳仙花 (canonical)
hōsenka (romanization)

Impatiens balsamina
Impatiens balsamina#Translingual

Impatiens balsamina; balsam flower, jewelweed, the touch-me-not


枸杞

枸杞 (canonical)
枸杞 (canonical)
kuko (romanization)


水引

水引 (canonical)
水引 (canonical)
mizuhiki (romanization)


蘿蔔

蘿蔔 (canonical)
rafuku (romanization)
らふく (hiragana historical)


馬蹄

こう思うとたんにしずかに馬蹄の音がどこからとなくきこえる。

1927, 佐藤紅緑, ああ玉杯に花うけて

Just as I think that, I hear somewhere the faint sound of horse hooves.

Kō omō totan ni shizuka ni batei no oto ga doko kara to naku kikoeru.


枇杷

枇(び)杷(わ) or 枇杷(ビワ) • (biwa) ^(←びは (bifa)?)

枇杷 (canonical)
枇杷 (canonical)
biwa (romanization)
bifa (romanization)
びは (hiragana historical)

Eriobotrya japonica
Eriobotrya japonica#Translingual


花束

花束を差し出す

to hold out (offer, present) a bunch of flowers


軍馬

軍馬 (canonical)
gunba (romanization)
ぐんば (hiragana historical)


五色

五(ご)色(しょく) • (goshoku) ^(←ごしよく (gosyoku)?)

五色 (canonical)
goshiki (romanization)
gosiki (romanization)
ごしき (hiragana historical)
五色 (canonical)
goshoku (romanization)
gosyoku (romanization)
ごしよく (hiragana historical)

五色青海鸚哥

五色青海鸚哥 ゴシキセガイインコ

五色野路子

五色野路子 ゴシキノジコ


木の葉

木(こ)の葉(は) or 木(き)の葉(は) • (ko no ha or ki no ha)

木の葉 (canonical)
木の葉 (canonical)
ko no ha (romanization)
ki no ha (romanization)

木 (ko, ki, “tree”) + の (no, possessive/attributive particle) + 葉 (ha, “leaf”)

com

1988 July 30 [1983 December 25], Fujiko F. Fujio, “ひとりぼっちの宇宙戦争 [The One-Man Cosmic War]”, in ひとりぼっちの宇宙戦争 [The One-Man Cosmic War] (藤子不二雄少年SF短編集; 1), 16th edition, volume 1 (fiction), Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN, page 20:

木の葉が空中にとまってる……。

a leaf of a tree, especially one that falls in autumn


青菜

青菜 (canonical)
aona (romanization)
awona (romanization)
あをな (hiragana historical)


ミソサザイ

ミソサザイ (canonical)
みそさざい (canonical)
misosazai (romanization)

Troglodytes troglodytes
Troglodytes troglodytes#Translingual

鷦鷯, 三十三才: Eurasian wren, winter wren, Troglodytes troglodytes.


葫蘆

From Middle Chinese 葫蘆 (MC hu|xu lu, literally “gourd + rushes, reeds”). Compare modern Min Nan reading hô͘-lô͘.


アメリカ野牛

アメリカ野牛 (canonical)
Amerika yagyū (romanization)

アメリカ (amerika) + 野牛(やぎゅう) (yagyū, “buffalo, bison”)


南瓜

南瓜 (canonical)
南瓜 (canonical)
kabocha (romanization)

From Portuguese Camboja (“Cambodia”). The kanji is jukujikun (熟字訓), from Chinese 南瓜 (nánguā). Doublet of カンボジア.


孔雀

/kuᵑ sʲakʉ/ → /kuⁿzʲakʉ/ → /kuʑaku/
Ultimately from Middle Chinese 孔雀 (MC khuwngX tsjak).
First cited in the Wamyō Ruijushō of roughly 934.

くじゃく座 くじゃく座#Japanese

(astronomy, colloquial) Short for くじゃく座 (Kujaku-za): Pavo


桃花

桃花 (canonical)
tōka (romanization)
taukwa (romanization)
たうくわ (hiragana historical)

From Middle Chinese compound 桃花 (daw xwæ). Compare modern Chinese 桃花 (táohuā).


桃花

桃花 (canonical)
Tōka (romanization)
Taukwa (romanization)
たうくわ (hiragana historical)


桃花

ja-pos

桃(もも)花(か) • (Momoka) ^(←ももくわ (Momokwa)?)

桃花 (canonical)
Momoka (romanization)
Momokwa (romanization)
ももくわ (hiragana historical)

A given name. Compound of 桃 (momo, “peach”, kun'yomi) + 花 (ka, “flower”, on'yomi).


ネアンデルタール人

ネアンデルタール人 (canonical)
neanderutāru-jin (romanization)

ja:ネアンデルタール人


苜蓿

[mo̞kɯ̟ɕɨkɯ̟]


フルーツ

[ɸɯ̟ɾɯ̟ːt͡sɨ]


サーモン

ja-noun

サーモン • (sāmon)


木犀

木犀 (canonical)
木犀 (canonical)
mokusei (romanization)

Osmanthus fragrans
Osmanthus fragrans#Translingual

Osmanthus fragrans, variously called the sweet osmanthus, sweet olive, tea olive, or fragrant olive: an evergreen shrub or small tree of the Oleaceae family, native to Asia

金木犀

orange-bloom variety of the fragrant olive

銀木犀

white-blooming variety of the fragrant olive

桂花: the orange-blooming variety of Osmanthus fragrans

the flower of the orange-blooming variety


水畑鼠

水(みず)畑(はた)鼠(ねずみ) or 水畑鼠(ミズハタネズミ) • (mizuhatanezumi)

水畑鼠 (canonical)
水畑鼠 (canonical)
mizuhatanezumi (romanization)

水 (mizu, “water”) + 畑鼠 (hatanezumi, “Japanese grass vole”)

af

Arvicola amphibius
Arvicola amphibius#Translingual

a European water vole (Arvicola amphibius)


高麗

Goguryeo
Koma clan
Man'yōshū
ja:高麗 (曖昧さ回避)

⟨ko₂ma⟩ → */koma/ → /koma/
From Old Japanese. As phonetic evidence, appears in the Man'yōshū, completed some time after 759 CE.
May be a Baekje ethnonym.
Alternatively, may be a Goguryeo word or name, given the history of the Koma clan, Goguryeo migrants to Eastern Honshū during the 660s.

a compound of 高麗 + 作り

Goryeo; Korea; foreign lands; making; made thing

(historical) a county in Saitama Prefecture (originally settled in the mid-600s CE by immigrants from the Korean Peninsula; abolished as an administrative entity in 1896)


益母草

ja-noun

益(やく)母(も)草(そう) or 益母草(ヤクモソウ) • (yakumosō)

益母草 (canonical)
益母草 (canonical)
yakumosō (romanization)

(traditional Chinese medicine) dried Leonurus japonicus used in medicine


燕麦

燕麦 (canonical)
燕麦 (canonical)
enbaku (romanization)


土豚

土豚 (canonical)
土豚 (canonical)
tsuchibuta (romanization)

土 (tsuchi, “earth”) + 豚 (buta, “pig”), calque of Afrikaans erdvark (“earth pig”).


烏木

Synonym of 黒檀 (kokutan, “ebony, trees of the genus Diospyros”)


土狼

ja-noun

土(つち)狼(おおかみ) or 土狼(ツチオオカミ) • (tsuchiōkami)

土狼 (canonical)
土狼 (canonical)
tsuchiōkami (romanization)

土 (tsuchi, “soil; earth”) + 狼 (ōkami, “wolf”), calque of Afrikaans aardwolf (“earth wolf”)

cal

アードウルフ アードウルフ#Japanese

Synonym of アードウルフ (ādourufu, “aardwolf”)


金柑

金柑 (canonical)
金柑 (canonical)
kinkan (romanization)


無花果

ja-noun

無花果(いちじく) • (ichijiku) ^(←いちぢく (itidiku)?)

無花果 (canonical)
ichijiku (romanization)
itidiku (romanization)
いちぢく (hiragana historical)

The kanji spelling 無 (“no”) + 花 (“flower”) + 果 (“fruit”) is an example of jukujikun (熟字訓), to denote a tree that bears fruit without flowering. The いちじく (ichijiku) reading is possibly a Japanese corruption of Middle Chinese 映日果 (ʔˠiæŋᴴ ȵiɪt̚ kuɑ^X, “fig”), itself a transcription of Persian انجیر (anjir, “fig”) + 果 (kuɑ^X).

der

ʔˠiæŋᴴ ȵiɪt̚ kuɑ^X


無花果

ja-noun

無(む)花(か)果(か) • (mukaka) ^(←むくわくわ (mukwakwa)?)

無花果 (canonical)
mukaka (romanization)
mukwakwa (romanization)
むくわくわ (hiragana historical)

From Middle Chinese 無花果 (mɨo hˠua kuɑ^X).


銀杏

銀杏(いちょう) or 銀杏(イチョウ) • (ichō) ^(←いちやう (ityau) or イチヤウ (ityau)?)

銀杏 (canonical)
銀杏 (canonical)
ichō (romanization)
ityau (romanization)
いちやう (hiragana historical)
イチヤウ (hiragana historical)

Edo period
Ginkgo biloba
Muromachi period
historical kana orthography
ja:イチョウ

/it͡ɕijau/ → /it͡ɕjɔː/ → /it͡ɕoː/
Borrowing from Chinese 鴨腳 /鸭脚 (yājiǎo, “ginkgo”) around the Muromachi period.
There is an Edo-period folk etymology that the original derivation was 一葉 (ichiyō, literally “a single leaf”), but from the historical kana usage, 一葉 would be read as いちえふ (ichi-efu) → いてふ (itefu), instead of いちやう (i-chau).
The kanji spelling is jukujikun (熟字訓).

Ginkgo biloba
Ginkgo biloba#Translingual

Short for 銀杏頭 (ichō-gashira): an Edo-period hairstyle, with the topknot in the shape of a ginkgo leaf, today usually associated with higher-ranked sumo wrestlers

銀杏頭

a 家紋 (kamon, “family crest”) with a motif of various styles of gingko leaves


銀杏

Attested around the mid-12th century.
Borrowing from Middle Chinese 銀杏 (MC ngin haengX), utilizing the 唐音 (tō'on, “Tang sound”) of 杏 (an), as in 杏子 (anzu, “apricot”).
The an changes to nan as an instance of renjō (連声).


銀杏

ja-noun

銀(ぎん)杏(きょう) • (ginkyō) ^(←ぎんきやう (ginkyau)?)

銀杏 (canonical)
ginkyō (romanization)
ginkyau (romanization)
ぎんきやう (hiragana historical)

→ Translingual: Ginkgo

→ English: ginkgo

[ɡʲĩŋʲkʲo̞ː]

Borrowing from Middle Chinese 銀杏 (MC ngin haengX), utilizing the 慣用音 (kan'yō-on, “Customary sound”) of 杏 (kyō), as in 杏仁 (kyōnin, “apricot seed”).


白木耳

白(しろ)木耳(きくらげ) or 白木耳(シロキクラゲ) • (shirokikurage)

白木耳 (canonical)
白木耳 (canonical)
shirokikurage (romanization)

[ɕiɾo̞kʲikɯ̟ɾa̠ɡe̞]

Compound of 白(しろ) (shiro, “white”) + 木耳(きくらげ) (kikurage, “wood ear, Judas-ear fungus”).

ja-compound

Tremella fuciformis
Tremella fuciformis#Translingual

a type of fungi belonging to the Tremellaceae family; Tremella fuciformis, snow fungus.


茴香

ja-noun

茴(うい)香(きょう) or 茴香(ウイキョウ) • (uikyō) ^(←ういきやう (uikyau)?)

茴香 (canonical)
茴香 (canonical)
uikyō (romanization)
uikyau (romanization)
ういきやう (hiragana historical)

八角茴香

八角茴香 はっかくういきょう


橄欖

橄欖 (canonical)
橄欖 (canonical)
kanran (romanization)

ja:カンラン (カンラン科)


川柳

ja-pos

川(かわ)柳(やなぎ) • (Kawayanagi) ^(←かはやなぎ (Kafayanagi)?)

川柳 (canonical)
Kawayanagi (romanization)
Kafayanagi (romanization)
かはやなぎ (hiragana historical)

Compound of 川(かわ) (kawa, “river, stream, brook”) + 柳(やなぎ) (yanagi, “willow”).


オニダルマオコゼ

鬼達磨虎魚 鬼達磨虎魚#Japanese


蝌蚪

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

Synonym of お玉杓子 (otamajakushi, “tadpole”)


小豆

ja-noun

小豆(あずき) or 小豆(アズキ) • (azuki) ^(←あづき (aduki) or アヅキ (aduki)?)

小豆 (canonical)
小豆 (canonical)
azuki (romanization)
aduki (romanization)
あづき (hiragana historical)
アヅキ (hiragana historical)

→ English: adzuki, azuki

→ Indonesian: azuki

⟨aduki₁⟩ → /adukʲi/ → /ad͡ʑuki/ → /aʑuki/
From Old Japanese. Further derivation unknown.
The kanji spelling is an example of jukujikun. The characters literally mean “small bean”.
Appears to be identical to Ainu antuki (“azuki bean”), which may be a borrowing. However, the direction of borrowing is uncertain.

Vigna angularis
Vigna angularis#Translingual