蠅
fly
Readings
On'yomi
- ヨウ
Kun'yomi
- はえ
- はい
Meaning
蠅 refers specifically to a fly, the common insect.
Most common words using 蠅
20 of 21- 蠅はえN1
fly (any insect of infraorder Muscomorpha)
- 猩猩蠅しょうじょうばえ
fruit fly (any insect of family Drosophilidae); vinegar fly; pomace fly; banana fly
- たま蠅たまばえ
gall midge (any insect of family Cecidomyiidae)
- ツェツェ蠅ツェツェばえ
tsetse fly
- 五月蠅さばえ
flies swarming at the beginning of summer
- 人の蠅を追うより己の蠅を追えひとのはえをおうよりおのれのはえをおえ
take care of yourself before you take care of others; wave off your own flies before you wave off someone else's flies
- 家蠅いえばえ
housefly (Musca domestica); house fly
- 寄生蠅やどりばえ
tachina fly (any fly of family Tachinidae); tachinid
- 牛蠅うしばえ
ox warble fly (Hypoderma bovis)
- 瓜実蠅うりみばえ
melon fly (Bactrocera cucurbitae)
- 縞蠅しまばえ
lauxaniid fly (any fly of family Lauxaniidae)
- 肉蠅にくばえ
flesh fly (any fly of family Sarcophagidae)
- 虱蠅しらみばえ
louse fly (any fly of family Hippoboscidae)
- 蜜柑小実蠅みかんこみばえ
Oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis)
- 蠅の王はえのおう
Lord of the Flies (1954 novel by William Golding)
- 蠅地獄はえじごく
Venus flytrap
- 蠅頭ようとう
small characters; tiny handwriting; as small as the head of a fly
- 金蠅きんばえ
greenbottle fly (esp. species Lucilia caesar)
- 青蠅あおばえ
bluebottle fly
- 頭の上の蠅も追えないあたまのうえのはえもおえない
completely helpless; unable even to drive away the flies on one's own head
Study
Etymology
蠅 combines 虫 (insect) with 黽, which likely contributes a phonetic element. The exact historical development of 黽 in this character is uncertain.
Meaning mnemonic
The insect radical 虫 on the left paired with the complex right side 黽 suggests a specific kind of insect: a fly.
Reading mnemonic
For ヨウ, imagine a fly buzzing with a high-pitched 'yo-' sound: yo -> ヨウ, as it circles around.