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Kotomora

翅

(insect) wings, fly, merely

Strokes10

Readings

On'yomi

  • シ

Kun'yomi

  • はね
  • つばさ

Meaning

翅 centers on insect wings and the act of flying. The rare sense 'merely' is an obscure extension, but the core idea is a wing or wing-like appendage used for flight.

Most common words using 翅

20 of 36
  • 翅はね

    wing (of an insect)

  • 前翅ぜんし

    fore-wing (of insect)

  • 半翅目はんしもく

    Hemiptera

  • 双翅目そうしもく

    Diptera

  • 双翅類そうしるい

    dipterans

  • 同翅類どうしるい

    homopterans (true bugs of suborder Homoptera)

  • 大透翅蛾おおすかしば

    coffee bee hawkmoth (Cephonodes hylas); pellucid hawk moth; coffee clearwing

  • 後翅こうし

    hindwing

  • 排翅パイチー

    shark fin

  • 撚翅ねじればね

    strepsipteran

  • 支那翅斑蚊しなはまだらか

    Anopheles sinensis (species of mosquito)

  • 日本鱗翅学会にっぽんりんしがっかい

    Lepidopterological Society of Japan; LSJ

  • 有翅昆虫ゆうしこんちゅう

    pterygote (winged insect)

  • 有翅昆虫類ゆうしこんちゅうるい

    pterygotes (winged insects)

  • 有翅類ゆうしるい

    pterygotes (winged insects)

  • 森茶翅蜚蠊もりちゃばねごきぶり

    Blattella nipponica (species of cockroach)

  • 無翅昆虫むしこんちゅう

    apterygote (wingless insect)

  • 無翅昆虫類むしこんちゅうるい

    apterygotes (wingless insects)

  • 無翅類むしるい

    apterygotes (wingless insects)

  • 異翅類いしるい

    heteropterans (true bugs of suborder Heteroptera)

Explore all words using 翅 →

Study

Etymology

翅 combines 支 (branch, support) and 羽 (feathers, wings), suggesting a wing supported by a branch-like structure. The exact historical development is uncertain, but the component combination likely expresses the idea of a wing.

Meaning mnemonic

支 looks like a branch supporting 羽, the feathers. Picture an insect's wing as a delicate feathery structure held out by a tiny branch-like frame.

Reading mnemonic

For シ, imagine a tiny insect wing that makes a soft 'shee' sound as it flutters: shee -> シ, and the wing beats gently.