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エンジムシ (えんじむし) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

エンジムシ

え

ん

じ

む

し

Meanings

1

noun

cochineal insect

usually written using kana alone

Refers specifically to the scale insect Dactylopius coccus, known for producing carmine dye.

エンジムシからは赤あかい染せん料りょうが取とれる。
A red dye can be obtained from the cochineal insect.

Written forms

エンジムシ
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling is the most common written form for this insect name.
臙えん脂じ虫むし
Kanji spelling is rare and may be difficult to read; the word is usually written in kana.

Kanji

臙rouge
脂fat, grease, tallow
虫

insect, bug, temper

Similar words

コチニール
コチニール is the loanword for the dye itself, while エンジムシ refers to the insect.
カイガラムシ
カイガラムシ is the general term for scale insects; エンジムシ is a specific species.

Etymology

Compound of 臙脂 (enji, 'carmine') + 虫 (mushi, 'insect'). The exact historical derivation of 臙脂 is uncertain, but it refers to the red dye produced by this insect.