also: らちゅう
hairless caterpillar
Refers specifically to a caterpillar that lacks visible hair, often used in contrast to hairy caterpillars (毛虫).
There was a hairless caterpillar on the leaf in the garden.
person with few clothes; scantily clad person
Colloquial and somewhat humorous; used to describe someone who is underdressed or has a limited wardrobe. Not a formal term.
He always looks cold, dressed like someone with hardly any clothes.
Standard kanji spelling for the common reading はだかむし.
Rare on'yomi reading; mostly encountered in older or specialized texts.
A native compound of 裸 “naked, bare” and 虫 “insect,” originally describing a caterpillar without conspicuous hair and also applied figuratively to a scantily clothed person.