海兎

Japanese

Kanji in this term
海	兎
うみ Grade: 2	うさぎ Jinmeiyō
kun'yomi

Alternative spelling
(kyūjitai)

Etymology

Compound of 海(うみ) (umi, “sea”) + 兎(ウサギ) (usagi, “rabbit”).

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) うみうさぎ [ùmíúꜜsàgì] (Nakadaka – [3])^[1]
IPA^(key): [ɯ̟mʲiɯ̟sa̠ɡʲi]

Noun

海(うみ)兎(うさぎ) or 海兎(ウミウサギ) • (umiusagi)

[unknown] egg cowrie (Ovula ovum)
[unknown; at least from 1827] (possibly obsolete) synonym of 雨虎 (amefurashi, “sea hare”)

Usage notes

As with many terms that name organisms, this term is often spelled in katakana, especially in biological contexts (where katakana is customary), as ウミウサギ (umiusagi).
Sense 2: This meaning appears in a source from 1827 recording it for the Awajijima and Tosa-Urado dialects.

References

^ Nihon Kokugo Daijiten Dai-ni-han Henshū I'inkai (日本国語大辞典第二版編集委員会) (2001-2002) 日本国語大辞典　第二版 [Unabridged Japanese Dictionary: Second Edition], Tokyo (東京都): Shōgakukan (小学館), →ISBN