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ハネジネズミ (はねじねずみ) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
noun
elephant shrew
usually written using kana alone
Refers to any species of the family Macroscelididae, small insectivorous mammals native to Africa. The Japanese name literally means 'jumping ground mouse'.
ぶつ
園えん
で
ハネジネズミ
を
見み
た
こと
が
あり
ます
か
？
Have you ever seen an elephant shrew at the zoo?
Written forms ハネジネズミ
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling is standard for this animal name; usually written in kana.
跳はね 地じ 鼠ねずみ
Kanji form is rare and not in common use; the word is almost always written in kana.
Etymology Compound of 跳ね (hane, 'jumping') + 地 (ji, 'ground') + 鼠 (nezumi, 'mouse/rat'), describing its hopping movement and terrestrial habitat. The exact derivation is uncertain; the spelling is conventionally associated with the animal's characteristics.
