evening cicada; Tanna japonensis
A cicada species known for its high-pitched, melancholic call heard in late summer evenings, often associated with the end of summer in Japanese culture.
In the evening, the evening cicadas start to sing.
Hearing the evening cicada's call makes me feel the end of summer.
General term for cicada; ヒグラシ is a specific species.
Large brown cicada, the most common species in Japan; its call is louder and more robust than the high, clear song of the ヒグラシ.
Cicada with a distinctive 'min-min' call, active during the hottest part of summer, unlike the evening-calling ヒグラシ.
Katakana spelling is common for this cicada name; the word is usually written in kana.
Rarely used kanji form.
Rarely used kanji form.
Single-kanji form; rarely used in modern writing.
The name ヒグラシ likely derives from 日暮らし (ひぐらし), meaning 'living day by day' or 'spending the whole day,' possibly referring to its call that continues from morning to evening, or to the melancholic feeling of the end of a day. The exact origin is uncertain.