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ヤマタノオロチ (yamatanoorochi) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

ヤマタノオロチ

や

ま

た

の

お

ろ

ち

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

1

eight-headed, eight-tailed serpent

usually written using kana alone

A legendary creature from Japanese mythology, famously slain by Susanoo. The name is a proper noun referring to this specific monster.

ヤマタノオロチは古こ事じ記きに登とう場じょうする巨きょ大だいな蛇へびの怪

かい

物ぶつ

だ

。

Yamata no Orochi is a giant serpent monster that appears in the Kojiki.

スサノオがヤマタノオロチを退たい治じした話はなしは有ゆう名めいだ。

The story of Susanoo slaying Yamata no Orochi is famous.

Kanji

八eight, eight radical (no. 12)
岐branch off, fork in road, scene
大large, big
蛇snake, serpent, hard drinker

Written forms

ヤマタノオロチ
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling is common for this mythological name; usually written in kana.
八岐大蛇やまたのおろち
Kanji spelling used in classical and mythological contexts.
八岐やまたの大蛇おろち
Variant kanji spelling with the possessive particle の.

Etymology

From 八岐大蛇, understood as 八岐 “eight-forked” and 大蛇 “great serpent.” The name describes the many-branched serpent of early Japanese myth, conventionally depicted with eight heads and eight tails.