ニタリクジラ

Meanings

Bryde's whale

usually written using kana alone

A species of baleen whale (Balaenoptera brydei). The name is thought to come from 似たり (nitari), meaning 'resembling', because it looks similar to the sei whale (イワシクジラ).

ニタリクジラは熱ねっ帯たいから温おん帯たいの海うみに生せい息そくしている。
Bryde's whales inhabit tropical to temperate seas.
この海かい域いきではニタリクジラがよく見みられる。
Bryde's whales are often seen in these waters.

Kanji

鯨whale
似becoming, resemble, counterfeit

Related words

イワシクジラ
Sei whale; the species that Bryde's whale is said to resemble, hence the name ニタリクジラ.
シロナガスクジラ
Blue whale; a much larger baleen whale species.

Written forms

ニタリクジラUsage100%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling is standard for this whale species name; usually written in kana.
にたりくじら
Hiragana spelling; less common than katakana but still encountered.
ニタリ鯨くじら
Mixed kanji-katakana spelling; the kanji 鯨 means 'whale'.
似鯨にたりくじら
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form using 似 (resemble); the name may derive from the whale's resemblance to another species.

Etymology

From 似たり (nitari, 'resembled') + 鯨 (kujira, 'whale'), because it resembles the sei whale. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the name is conventionally associated with this resemblance.