Refers to shrews, small insectivorous mammals of the family Soricidae, especially those of the genus Sorex. In everyday Japanese, the katakana form トガリネズミ is standard.
Shrews eat small insects.
I found a shrew in the garden.
long-clawed shrew
Azumi shrew (Sorex hosonoi)
Hawker's least shrew
Shirouma shrew
Shinto shrew (Sorex shinto)
Laxmann's shrew; Baikal shrew
Katakana spelling is common for this animal name; usually written in kana.
Kanji spelling is rare and may not be widely recognized; the katakana form is preferred.
Compound of 尖り (togari, 'pointed, sharp') + 鼠 (nezumi, 'mouse, rat'), referring to the shrew's pointed snout. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the name is descriptive.