うさぎ

う

さ

ぎ

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

1

noun

rabbit; hare; lagomorph

usually written using kana alone

General term for rabbits and hares; in everyday Japanese, the distinction between rabbit and hare is often not made unless specified.

公こう園えんで白しろい

うさぎ

を

見み

つけ

た

。

I found a white rabbit in the park.

うさぎは耳みみが長ながい。

Rabbits have long ears.

Usage patterns

〈人ひと〉がうさぎを飼かうfor someone to keep a rabbit (as a pet)
妹いもうとは家いえでうさぎを飼かっている。
My little sister keeps a rabbit at home.
うさぎが跳はねるfor a rabbit to hop
庭にわでうさぎがぴょんぴょん跳はねている。
A rabbit is hopping around in the garden.

Expressions

月つきの兎うさぎmoon rabbit; moon hare
狐きつね死しして兎うさぎ泣なくpeople have sympathy for kindred in distress
兎うさぎ死しすれば狐きつねこれを悲かなしむpeople sympathize with their own kind in misfortune

Kanji

兎rabbit, hare
兔rabbit, hare
菟dodder (plant)

Related words

野のうさぎ
兎 is the general word for rabbit or hare, while 野うさぎ specifies a wild hare rather than a domesticated one.
飼かいうさぎ
兎 covers rabbits and hares generally, whereas 飼いうさぎ specifically means a pet or domesticated rabbit.

Don't confuse with

卯うN1
兎 is the everyday word for the animal 'rabbit', while 卯 refers specifically to the zodiac sign, hour, or (obsolete) direction associated with the rabbit, not the animal itself.

Counted with

羽わN3
Traditionally rabbits are counted with 羽, but 匹 is also common in everyday speech.
匹ひきN3
Traditional usage favors 羽, but 匹 is widely used in ordinary conversation.

Word family· 27

白しろ兎うさぎ
white rabbit
雪ゆきうさぎ
mountain hare; blue hare; white hare; alpine hare · snow rabbit; rabbit made of snow
兎うさぎ馬うま
donkey
兎うさぎ汁じる

Written forms

うさぎUsage32%
Hiragana spelling is the most common written form.
ウサギUsage50%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling, often used in biological contexts or for emphasis.
兎Usage18%

Etymology

The origin is uncertain; possibly related to the verb うさぐ (to move quickly) or an ancient word for 'jumping creature'. The kanji 兎 is a pictograph of a rabbit.

rabbit soup

兎うさぎ網あみ

rabbit-catching net

Show 8 more

兎うさぎ耳みみ
long ears; gossiper
ウサギギク
Alaskan arnica (Arnica unalascensis)
ナキウサギ
pika
家いえ兎うさぎ
domestic rabbit
山やま兎うさぎ
mountain rabbit; mountain hare
ムカシウサギ
paleolagine lagomorph; Amami rabbit; red rock hare
カンジキウサギ
snowshoe hare; varying hare; snowshoe rabbit
ウミウサギ
egg cowrie; shuttle shell

See all 27 in Explore →

うさぎ
Kanji form; usually written in kana.
う
out-dated reading

兔うさぎUsage<1%

rarely-used kanji form

Rarely used kanji variant.

兔うさぎ

Rarely used kanji variant.

菟うさぎ

irregular kanji usage

Irregular kanji usage; not recommended for learners.

う

out-dated reading