ムササビ

also: むざさび

ム

サ

ビ

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

Japanese giant flying squirrel

usually written using kana alone

Refers specifically to Petaurista leucogenys, a large flying squirrel native to Japan. Often written in katakana as ムササビ.

リス
リス is a tree squirrel that runs and jumps, whereas ムササビ is the Japanese giant flying squirrel that glides using a skin membrane.

ムササビUsage70%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling is common for this animal name; usually written in kana.
むささびUsage30%
Hiragana spelling; also common.
鼯鼠
rarely-used kanji form
- むささび
  Rare kanji form; the word is usually written in kana.
- むざさび
  out-dated reading
鼺鼠
rarely-used kanji form
- むささび
  Rare kanji form; the word is usually written in kana.
- むざさび
  out-dated reading
むざさび
out-dated reading
Obsolete kana usage; included for reference.

The origin is uncertain. The word is native Japanese, and the kanji forms 鼯鼠 and 鼺鼠 are rare ateji.