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ヘビクイワシ (へびくいわし) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
noun
secretarybird ; secretary bird
usually written using kana alone
A large, mostly terrestrial bird of prey native to Africa, famous for its long legs and crest of feathers. The Japanese name literally means 'snake-eating eagle'.
で
ヘビクイワシ
の
長なが
い
脚あし
を
見み
た
。
I saw the long legs of a secretarybird at the zoo.
Written forms ヘビクイワシ
kana-only spelling
Standard katakana spelling for this animal name.
蛇へび 食くい 鷲わし
Kanji spelling exists but is rarely used; the word is almost always written in kana.
Kanji 蛇 snake, serpent, hard drinker Etymology Compound of 蛇 (hebi, 'snake'), 食い (kui, 'eating'), and 鷲 (washi, 'eagle'), describing the bird's snake-hunting behavior. The exact derivation is uncertain, but the name is a straightforward descriptive compound.
