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シャミセンガイ (しゃみせんがい) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

シャミセンガイ

しゃ

み

せ

ん

が

い

Meanings

1

lingulate brachiopod; Lingula anatina

usually written using kana alone

A marine brachiopod with a shell resembling a shamisen plectrum; often used in biology contexts.

シャミセンガイは生いきた化か石せきと呼よばれることがある

。

The lingulate brachiopod is sometimes called a living fossil.

Kanji

三three
味flavor, taste
線line, track
貝shellfish

Built from

三味線しゃみせん+貝かい

Written forms

シャミセンガイ
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling is common for this organism name; usually written in kana.
三味線しゃみせん貝がい
Kanji spelling is rare; the word is usually written in kana.

Etymology

From 三味線 (shamisen) + 貝 (shellfish), named for the resemblance of its shell to a shamisen plectrum.