シャチ

noun

orca; killer whale

Standard modern term for the marine mammal Orcinus orca. Usually written in katakana.

• 水すい族ぞく館かんでシャチのショーを見みた。

  I saw an orca show at the aquarium.

• シャチは海うみの頂ちょう点てん捕ほ食しょく者しゃだ。

  Orcas are apex predators of the sea.

noun

mythical tiger-headed carp

Abbreviation of しゃちほこ. A mythical creature with a tiger's head and a fish's body, believed to bring good fortune and protection. Rarely used outside the context of traditional architecture or folklore.

See also: しゃちほこ

• 「しゃちほこ」の略りゃく称しょうとして「しゃち」と呼よぶことがある。

  Sometimes called 'shachi' as an abbreviation of 'shachihoko'.

noun

roof ornament shaped like a shachi

Abbreviation of しゃちほこ. A decorative roof tile in the shape of the mythical shachi, traditionally placed on castle roofs to ward off fire. Often seen on Japanese castles like Nagoya Castle.

See also: しゃちほこ

• 名な古ご屋や城じょうの天てん守しゅには金きんのしゃちが載のっている。

  Golden shachi ornaments sit atop the keep of Nagoya Castle.