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マテ貝 (まてがい) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

マテ貝がい

ま

て

が

い

Meanings

1

noun

razor clam

Specifically refers to Solen strictus, a species of razor clam found in Japan. Used in cooking and fishing contexts.

潮しお干ひ狩がりでマテ貝がいをたくさん採とった。
I gathered a lot of razor clams during clam digging.
マテ貝がいは塩しおをかけると飛とび出だしてくる。
Razor clams pop out when you sprinkle salt on them.

Written forms

マテ貝がいUsage57%
Standard mixed kanji-katakana spelling; the katakana part マテ is common for this shellfish name.
マテガイUsage43%
kana-only spelling
Full katakana spelling, often used in biological or culinary contexts.
馬刀貝まてがい
Alternate kanji spelling using 馬刀, which is a phonetic ateji representation.
馬蛤貝まてがい
rarely-used kanji form

Rare kanji form using 蛤; it is rarely used.

蟶まて貝がい

rarely-used kanji form

Rare kanji form using 蟶; it is rarely used.

Kanji

貝shellfish
馬horse
刀sword, saber, knife
蛤clam
蟶razor clam

Similar words

アサリ
アサリ is a short-neck clam, much more common and smaller than the elongated razor clam マテ貝.
ハマグリ
ハマグリ is a hard clam, often used in clear soups, while マテ貝 is a razor clam with a distinct shape and habitat.

Etymology

The name マテ is thought to derive from the clam's resemblance to a 馬刀 (まて), a type of sword, due to its elongated shape. The exact origin is uncertain.