chevrotain; mouse deer
A small, deer-like ungulate of the family Tragulidae, native to tropical forests of Asia and Africa. In Japanese, usually written in katakana.
Chevrotains inhabit the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia.
I saw a mouse deer for the first time at the zoo.
Kanji spelling exists but is rarely used; learners may encounter it in older or formal texts.
Compound of 鼠 (nezumi, 'mouse') and 鹿 (shika, 'deer'), calque of English 'mouse deer'.