A biological term for apes, including chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans. Often used in scientific contexts; the cross-reference 類人猿 is more common in everyday language.
See also: 類人猿
Anthropoid apes are a general term for primates belonging to the family Hominidae.
In this study, we observed the social behavior of anthropoid apes.
Katakana spelling is common for this biological term; usually written in kana.
Kanji spelling is rare; the word is usually written in kana.
Compound of 人 (ひと, 'human') + 似 (に, 'resembling') + 猿 (ざる, 'monkey/ape'), literally 'human-resembling monkey'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term is a direct calque or translation of the Western scientific concept of anthropoid apes.