翅
(insect) wings, fly, merely
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)
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.