蛇

蛇 (canonical)
蛇 (canonical)
hebi (romanization)

/pemi/ → /ɸemi/ → /ɸebi/ → /hebi/
Shift from older hemi (see below). The medial /m/ lost its nasal quality to become a plosive.
Appears in texts from the 1300s.

1999 March 6, “デビル・スネーク [Devil Snake]”, in Starter(スターター) Box(ボックス), Konami:

A single-eyed snake that breathes out frigid air to freeze its opponents.

目が一つしかないヘビ。冷気をはき出し、相手を氷づけにする。

Me ga hitotsu shikanai hebi. Reiki o hakidashi, aite o kōrizuke ni suru.

1999 May 27, “生(い)き血(ち)をすするもの [Lifeblood-Slurping One]”, in Vol.3, Konami:

A humanoid blood-sucking serpent who assaults passerby from the dark.

暗闇の中、道行く人々を襲う人型の吸血ヘビ。

Kurayami no naka, michiyuku hitobito o osou hitogata no kyūketsu hebi.

2000 May 1, “グラップラー [Grappler]”, in BOOSTER 7, Konami:

Watch out! This devious serpent will grapple you tight with its long and thick body!

ずるがしこいヘビ。太くて長い身体で締め付ける攻撃に注意！

Zurugashikoi hebi. Futokute nagai shintai de shimetsukeru kōgeki ni chūi!


蛇

⟨pe₂mi₁⟩ → */pəɨmʲi/ → /pemi/ → /ɸemi/ → /hemi/
From Old Japanese.
Derivation theories include:
* Possibly cognate with Korean 뱀 (baem, “snake”).
* Possibly related to, or influenced by, Old Japanese-derived verb 食む (hamu, “to bite”).
* Possibly also related to 波布 (habu, “a kind of poisonous pit viper native to Okinawa”).


蛇

ja-noun

蛇(くちなわ) • (kuchinawa) ^(←くちなは (kutinafa)?)

蛇 (canonical)
kuchinawa (romanization)
kutinafa (romanization)
くちなは (hiragana historical)

[kɯ̟̊t͡ɕina̠β̞a̠]

Extension of 朽ち縄 (kuchinawa, literally “rotten rope”), as such a rope resembles the appearance of a snake.
朽ち縄 (kuchinawa) itself is from くち (kuchi, 連(れん)用(よう)形(けい) (ren'yōkei, “stem or continuative form”) of the verb くちる (“to rot”).) + 縄(なわ) (nawa, “rope”)


蛇

Short for 蛇之助 (janosuke): a heavy drinker


蛇

Confusion of pronunciation with 陀(だ) (da) via phonetic radical 它.


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”)


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


眼鏡蛇

眼鏡蛇 (canonical)
meganehebi (romanization)


コブラ

Borrowed from English cobra, from Portuguese cobra.


大蛇

大蛇 (canonical)
orochi (romanization)
woroti (romanization)
をろち (hiragana historical)

/woro₂ti/ → */worəti/ → /woroti/ → /orotɕi/
Possibly from 尾ろ (woro₂, “tail”) + 霊 (chi, “spirit”). The kanji are jukujikun (熟字訓).

虵 [...] 一名久知奈波、日本紀私記云、虵、乎路知 [...] 毒虫也 [...]

938, Minamoto no Shitagō, Wamyō Ruijushō, volume 8, page 55:

Serpent … One name is kuchinawa, the Nihongi Private Records call it serpent, orochi…. It is a venomous creature …


縞蛇

縞蛇 (canonical)
縞蛇 (canonical)
shimahebi (romanization)

縞(しま) (shima, “stripe”) + 蛇(へび) (hebi, “snake”)

ja-compound

Japanese striped snake, Elaphe quadrivirgata


鎖蛇

鎖蛇 (canonical)
鎖蛇 (canonical)
kusarihebi (romanization)

viper, general term for a snake in subfamily Viperinae


アナコンダ

an anaconda (any of various large nonvenomous snake of the genus Eunectes)


波布

波布 (canonical)
波布 (canonical)
habu (romanization)

English: habu

Borrowed from Okinawan 蛇(はぶ) (habu, “snake”). Likely cognate with Japanese 蛇(へび) (hebi, “snake”).
* Possibly an alteration from 反鼻 (hanbi), an obsolete term for a kind of Chinese medicine made from the skin and/or organs of certain venomous snakes.
* More likely, may be an alteration from 蛇(へび) (hebi, “snake”). Some dialects distinguish between non-poisonous hebi and poisonous habi.
* Possibly also related to, or influenced by, Old Japanese-derived verb 食(は)む (hamu, “to bite”). An /m/ - /b/ alternation can be found in some Japanese words, so a shift from hamu to habu is a reasonable possibility. The standard modern Japanese word hebi for “snake” may similarly be derived from, or have been influenced by, hamu “to bite”.
The kanji spelling 波布 is an example of ateji, with the characters chosen purely for their phonetic values.

Protobothrops flavoviridis
Protobothrops flavoviridis#Translingual

Trimeresurus flavoviridis
Trimeresurus flavoviridis

a venomous pit viper of species Protobothrops flavoviridis (syn. Trimeresurus flavoviridis), native to Okinawa

波布草

Senna occidentalis, also called coffee senna or coffeeweed, a wide-ranging tropical plant with seeds sometimes used for a beverage similar to coffee

波布茶

a beverage made by roast senna seeds and steep in water


海蛇

海蛇 (canonical)
海蛇 (canonical)
umihebi (romanization)


スマトラアカニシキヘビ

ja-noun

^スマトラ あかにしきへび

^スマトラ アカニシキヘビ

スマトラアカニシキヘビ or スマトラあかにしきへび or スマトラアカニシキヘビ • (sumatorākanishikihebi)

スマトラアカニシキヘビ (canonical)
スマトラあかにしきへび (canonical)
sumatorākanishikihebi (romanization)

スマトラ (Sumatora, “Sumatra”) + 赤 (aka, “red”) + ニシキヘビ (nishikihebi, “python”).

compound

ja:スマトラアカニシキヘビ


マレーアカニシキヘビ

ja-noun

^マレー あかにしきへび

^マレー アカニシキヘビ

マレーアカニシキヘビ or マレーあかにしきへび or マレーアカニシキヘビ • (marēakanishikihebi)

マレーアカニシキヘビ (canonical)
マレーあかにしきへび (canonical)
marēakanishikihebi (romanization)

マレー (Marē, “Malay”) + 赤 (aka, “red”) + ニシキヘビ (nishikihebi, “python”).

compound

a Brongersma's short-tailed python (Python brongersmai)

ja:マレーアカニシキヘビ


アフリカニシキヘビ

ja-noun

アフリカニシキヘビ or アフリカにしきへび or アフリカニシキヘビ • (afurikanishikihebi)

アフリカニシキヘビ (canonical)
アフリカにしきへび (canonical)
afurikanishikihebi (romanization)

アフリカ (Afurika, “Africa”) + ニシキヘビ (nishikihebi, “python”).

compound

ja:アフリカニシキヘビ


頭黒錦蛇

ja-noun

頭(ず)黒(ぐろ)錦(にしき)蛇(へび) or 頭黒錦蛇(ズグロニシキヘビ) • (zuguro nishikihebi)

頭黒錦蛇 (canonical)
頭黒錦蛇 (canonical)
zuguro nishikihebi (romanization)

頭 (zu, “head”) + 黒 (kuro, “black”) + 錦蛇 (nishikihebi, “python”)

compound

a black-headed python (Aspidites melanocephalus)


白口錦蛇

ja-noun

白(しろ)口(くち)錦(にしき)蛇(へび) or 白口錦蛇(シロクチニシキヘビ) • (shirokuchi nishikihebi)

白口錦蛇 (canonical)
白口錦蛇 (canonical)
shirokuchi nishikihebi (romanization)

白 (shiro, “white”) + 口 (kuchi, “mouth”) + 錦蛇 (nishikihebi, “python”)

compound

ja:シロクチニシキヘビ


尾巻錦蛇

ja-noun

尾(お)巻(まき)錦(にしき)蛇(へび) or 尾巻錦蛇(オマキニシキヘビ) • (omaki nishikihebi)

尾巻錦蛇 (canonical)
尾巻錦蛇 (canonical)
omaki nishikihebi (romanization)

尾 (o, “tail”) + 巻 (maki, “roll”) + 錦蛇 (nishikihebi, “python”)

compound

ja:オマキニシキヘビ属


網目錦蛇

ja-noun

網(あみ)目(め)錦(にしき)蛇(へび) or 網目錦蛇(アミメニシキヘビ) • (amime nishikihebi)

網目錦蛇 (canonical)
網目錦蛇 (canonical)
amime nishikihebi (romanization)

網目 (amime, “mesh”) + 錦蛇 (nishikihebi, “python”)


緑錦蛇

ja-noun

緑(みどり)錦(にしき)蛇(へび) or 緑錦蛇(ミドリニシキヘビ) • (midorinishikihebi)

緑錦蛇 (canonical)
緑錦蛇 (canonical)
midorinishikihebi (romanization)

緑 (midori, “green”) + 錦蛇 (nishikihebi, “python”)


錦蛇

ja-noun

錦(にしき)蛇(へび) or 錦蛇(ニシキヘビ) • (nishikihebi)

錦蛇 (canonical)
錦蛇 (canonical)
nishikihebi (romanization)

錦 (nishiki, “brocade”) + 蛇 (hebi, “snake”)


大アナコンダ

ja-noun

大(おお)アナコンダ or 大(オオ)アナコンダ • (ō-anakonda)

大アナコンダ (canonical)
大アナコンダ (canonical)
ō-anakonda (romanization)

大 (ō, “big; large”) + アナコンダ (anakonda, “anaconda”)


キングコブラ

[kʲĩŋɡɯ̟ ko̞bɯ̟ɾa̠]


砂漠黒コブラ

ja-noun

砂(さ)漠(ばく)黒(くろ)コブラ or 砂漠黒(サバククロ)コブラ • (sabaku kuro-kobura)

砂漠黒コブラ (canonical)
砂漠黒コブラ (canonical)
sabaku kuro-kobura (romanization)

砂漠 (sabaku, “desert”) + 黒 (kuro, “black”) + コブラ (kobura, “cobra”)

com

a desert black snake (Walterinnesia aegyptia)


青大将

ja-noun

青(あお)大(だい)将(しょう) or 青大将(アオダイショウ) • (aodaishō)

青大将 (canonical)
青大将 (canonical)
aodaishō (romanization)

Japanese rat snake (Elaphe climacophora)


蚺蛇

蚺(ぜん)蛇(じゃ) or 蚺(せん)蛇(じゃ) • (zenja or senja)

蚺蛇 (canonical)
蚺蛇 (canonical)
zenja (romanization)
senja (romanization)

[d͡zẽ̞ɲ̟d͡ʑa̠]

[sẽ̞ɲ̟d͡ʑa̠]


烏蛇

烏蛇 (canonical)
烏蛇 (canonical)
karasuhebi (romanization)

烏(からす) (karasu, “crow”) + 蛇(へび) (hebi, “snake”)

ja-compound

black morph Japanese striped snake, Elaphe quadrivirgata


南蛇

南蛇 (canonical)
南蛇 (canonical)
nanda (romanization)