メクラウナギ

Meanings

hagfish; slime eel

usually written using kana alone

A jawless, eel-like marine fish known for producing copious slime. The Japanese name literally means 'blind eel'. The species Myxine garmani is a common representative in Japanese waters.

メクラウナギは海かい底ていで死しんだ魚さかなを食たべる。
Hagfish eat dead fish on the ocean floor.
水すい族ぞく館かんでメクラウナギの展てん示じを見みた。
I saw a hagfish exhibit at the aquarium.

See all 3 example sentences ›

Kanji

盲blind, blind man, ignoramus
鰻eel

Related words

ウナギ
ウナギ is a true eel (Anguilla japonica), commonly eaten. メクラウナギ is not a true eel but a primitive jawless fish; it is not typically eaten in Japan.
ヤツメウナギ
ヤツメウナギ (lamprey) is another jawless fish with a similar eel-like shape, but lampreys have a round sucker mouth, while hagfish have a slit-like mouth and produce slime.

Built from

盲めくら+うなぎ

Written forms

めくらうなぎ
Hiragana spelling is also used, especially in informal or learner contexts.
盲めくら鰻うなぎ
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; the characters mean 'blind eel'.

Etymology

Compound of 盲 (mekura, 'blind') + 鰻 (unagi, 'eel'), referring to the hagfish's reduced eyes and eel-like body. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the name is descriptive.