虻
gadfly, horsefly
Readings
On'yomi
- ボウ
Kun'yomi
- あぶ
Meaning
虻 centers on a biting, blood-sucking fly that pesters livestock and people: a gadfly or horsefly.
Most common words using 虻
- 虻あぶ
horsefly; gadfly
- 吊虻つりあぶ
bee fly (any insect of family Bombyliidae)
- 塩屋虻しおやあぶ
robber fly (Promachus yesonicus)
- 水虻みずあぶ
soldier fly (any fly of family Stratiomyidae, esp. species Stratiomys japonica)
- 牛虻うしあぶ
Tabanus trigonus (species of horsefly)
- 盲虻めくらあぶ
deerfly (Chrysops suavis)
- 花虻はなあぶ
hoverfly (Syrphidae spp.); syrphid
- 虫引虻むしひきあぶ
robber fly (any fly of family Asilidae)
- 虻蜂あぶはち
horsefly and bee; horsefly and wasp
- 虻蜂取らずあぶはちとらず
attempting two tasks at the same time, accomplishing neither; falling between two stools; catching neither the horsefly nor the bee
- 赤牛虻あかうしあぶ
Tabanus chrysurus (species of horsefly)
- 馬虻うまあぶ
horse botfly
Study
Etymology
虻 combines 虫 (insect) with 亡, which likely contributes a sound element. The character specifically denotes a biting fly.
Meaning mnemonic
The insect radical 虫 on the left tells you it's a bug, and the right side 亡 looks like a person lying down, perhaps after being bitten. Imagine a gadfly that bites so hard it knocks you flat.
Reading mnemonic
For ボウ, picture a bow-shaped horsefly buzzing around: bow -> ボウ, and the insect's curved flight path reminds you of the reading.