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ヒダリマキマイマイ (ひだりまきまいまい) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

ヒダリマキマイマイ

ひ

だ

り

ま

き

ま

い

ま

い

Meanings

1

noun

garden snail (Euhadra quaesita)

usually written using kana alone

A specific species of land snail native to Japan, known for its left-handed (sinistral) shell coiling.

ヒダリマキマイマイは日本にほん固こ有ゆうのカタツムリです。
The Euhadra quaesita is a snail endemic to Japan.
この公こう園えんではヒダリマキマイマイをよく見みかけます

。

We often see Euhadra quaesita snails in this park.

Written forms

ヒダリマキマイマイ
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling is common for this species name; usually written in kana.
左巻蝸牛ひだりまきまいまい
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form; it is rarely used.

Kanji

左left
巻scroll, volume, book
蝸snail
牛cow

Similar words

カタツムリ
カタツムリ is the general term for 'snail', while ヒダリマキマイマイ refers to a specific species.
マイマイ
マイマイ is a colloquial or child-friendly word for 'snail', often used in names of snail species.

Etymology

The name literally means 'left-coiling snail': 左巻き (ひだりまき, 'left-handed coiling') + マイマイ (a reduplicative word for snail). The specific epithet 'quaesita' is from Latin, meaning 'sought after'.