noun
oyster
Refers to the shellfish; also used for the shell itself in contexts like oyster shell powder.
冬のカキは特に美味しい。
Oysters are especially delicious in winter.
カキの殻をリサイクルする。
Recycle oyster shells.
Standard kanji form, but the word is usually written in kana.
Hiragana spelling, also common.
Variant kanji form; less common than 牡蠣.
Abbreviated kanji form; rarely used.
Obscure variant; not in common use.
The origin is uncertain, but the word is native Japanese. The kanji 牡蠣 are Chinese characters used for their meaning, not phonetic value.