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カミキリムシ (かみきりむし) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

カミキリムシ

か

み

き

り

む

し

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

1

noun

long-horned beetle; longicorn

usually written using kana alone

Refers to beetles of the family Cerambycidae, known for their long antennae. Common in Japan; larvae bore into wood.

庭にわの木きにカミキリムシがとまっていた。
A long-horned beetle was resting on the tree in the garden.
カミキリムシの幼よう虫ちゅうは木もく材ざいを

食た

べる

。

Long-horned beetle larvae eat wood.

Written forms

カミキリムシ
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling is common for this insect name; the word is usually written in kana.
天牛かみきりむし
Kanji form using jukujikun; rarely used in practice.
髪かみ切きり虫むし
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; literally 'hair-cutting insect'.

Kanji

天heavens, sky, imperial
牛cow
髪hair of the head
切cut, cutoff, be sharp
虫insect, bug, temper

Etymology

The name カミキリムシ (髪切虫) literally means 'hair-cutting insect', from its strong mandibles that can cut through plant fibers and even hair. The kanji 天牛 is a jukujikun reading, where the characters mean 'heaven' and 'ox', likely borrowed from Chinese naming.