蟻
ant
Readings
On'yomi
- ギ
Kun'yomi
- あり
Meaning
蟻 centers on the insect ant, a small social creature known for its industriousness and colony life.
Most common words using 蟻
20 of 47- 蟻ありN1
ant
- 白蟻しろあり
termite; white ant
- 蟻食ありくい
anteater
- 蟻地獄ありじごく
antlion (larva); doodlebug
- 火蟻ひあり
red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta)
- 蟻塚ありづか
anthill
- 大蟻食おおありくい
giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla)
- 亜爾然丁蟻アルゼンチンあり
Argentine ant (Linepithema humile)
- 侍蟻さむらいあり
Polyergus samurai (species of amazon ant)
- 兵蟻へいぎ
soldier ant
- 千丈の堤も蟻の一穴より崩れるせんじょうのつつみもありのいっけつよりくずれる
a small leak will sink a great ship
- 姫蟻ひめあり
Monomorium intrudens (species of ant)
- 姫蟻食ひめありくい
silky anteater (Cyclopes didactylus); pygmy anteater
- 家白蟻いえしろあり
Formosan subterranean termite (Coptotermes formosanus)
- 小噛み蟻コカミアリ
little fire ant (Wasmannia auropunctata); electric ant
- 山蟻やまあり
wood ant (any ant of genus Formica)
- 擬蟻象虫ありもどきぞうむし
sweet potato weevil (Cylas formicarius)
- 熊蟻くまあり
Japanese carpenter ant (Camponotus japonicus)
- 白蟻擬しろありもどき
web-spinner (any insect of order Embioptera, esp. family Oligotomidae)
- 葉切蟻はきりあり
leafcutter ant
Study
Etymology
蟻 combines 虫 (insect) with 義, which likely contributes the sound ギ and may have originally suggested a sense of orderly or righteous behavior, fitting the ant's social nature.
Meaning mnemonic
The insect radical 虫 on the left marks this as a bug, and the right side 義 looks like a complex, orderly structure—like an ant colony. Picture a righteous ant carrying a tiny leaf.
Reading mnemonic
For ギ, imagine a giant ant wearing a gi (martial arts uniform) and bowing politely: gi -> ギ, and the ant is a disciplined insect.