noun
rosefinch
Refers to any finch of the genus Carpodacus. In Japanese birding, often used in compound names like オオマシコ (Pallas's rosefinch) or ベニマシコ (long-tailed rosefinch).
ベニマシコは美しい紅色の鳥だ。
The long-tailed rosefinch is a beautiful crimson bird.
北海道ではオオマシコが見られる。
Pallas's rosefinch can be seen in Hokkaido.
noun
Rare, archaic, or dialectal term for monkey. The cross-reference to 猿 suggests this is an alternative reading or variant form. Not used in modern standard Japanese.
See also: 猿
古い文献では「猿子」を「ましこ」と読んで猿を指すことがある。
In old documents, 猿子 is sometimes read as ましこ and refers to a monkey.
猿 (さる) is the standard modern word for monkey. 猿子 (ましこ) is a rare, archaic variant.
The origin is uncertain. The kanji 猿子 literally means 'monkey child', but the connection to the bird name is unclear. The reading ましこ may be derived from the bird's call or an old Japanese word.