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ヤツメウナギ (やつめうなぎ) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

ヤツメウナギ

や

つ

め

う

な

ぎ

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

1

noun

lamprey; lamprey eel

usually written using kana alone

Refers to the jawless fish of the order Petromyzontiformes. Often called 'lamprey eel' in English, though it is not a true eel.

ヤツメウナギは川かわで産さん卵らんする。
Lampreys spawn in rivers.
ヤツメウナギの口くちは吸きゅう盤ばんのようになって

いる

。

The mouth of a lamprey is like a suction cup.

Written forms

ヤツメウナギ
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling is common for this animal name; usually written in kana.
八やつ目め鰻うなぎ
Kanji spelling; rarely used in modern writing.
八やつ目め鰻うなぎ
Variant kanji spelling; rarely used.

Kanji

八eight, eight radical (no. 12)
目eye, class, look
鰻eel

Etymology

The name 八つ目鰻 literally means 'eight-eyed eel', referring to the seven gill openings behind the eye that together with the true eye give the appearance of eight eyes. The exact historical derivation is uncertain.