丸太
Meanings
A felled tree trunk stripped of branches, used for lumber, construction, or as a raw material.
They floated logs down the river to transport them.
I cut logs into firewood.
dace (Tribolodon hakonensis)
A freshwater fish native to Japan. Usually written in kana. The katakana spelling マルタ is also common.
Dace are often caught in this river.
Historical and sensitive term referring to victims of human experimentation by the Japanese army's Unit 731 during WWII. Usually written in kana.
See also: ７３１部隊
In Unit 731, prisoners were called 'maruta' and subjected to inhumane experiments.
prostitute disguised as a nun
Archaic derogatory term for a prostitute who dressed as a Buddhist nun to solicit clients. No longer in modern use.
In Edo-period documents, there are examples where the slang term 'maruta' referred to a prostitute dressed as a nun.
Usage patterns
- 丸太を切るto cut a log
He cut logs in the mountains and made them into firewood.
- 丸太を積むto stack/pile up logs
They loaded the logs onto the truck bed.
- 丸太で橋を作るto build a bridge out of logs
The villagers built a bridge out of logs.