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ヤマアラシ (やまあらし) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

ヤマアラシ

や

ま

あ

ら

し

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

1

porcupine; hedgehog

usually written using kana alone

Refers to both porcupines and hedgehogs in Japanese; context or additional modifiers (e.g., ハリネズミ for hedgehog) may distinguish them. The word is usually written in kana.

ヤマアラシは背せ中なかに鋭するどい針はりを

持も

っ

て

いる

。

Porcupines have sharp quills on their backs.

動どう物ぶつ園えんでヤマアラシを見みた。

I saw a porcupine at the zoo.

Kanji

山mountain
荒laid waste, rough, rude
豪overpowering, great, powerful
猪boar

Related words

ハリネズミ
ハリネズミ specifically means 'hedgehog', while ヤマアラシ can refer to both porcupines and hedgehogs. In modern usage, ハリネズミ is the more precise term for hedgehog.

Written forms

ヤマアラシUsage84%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling is common for this animal name; usually written in kana.
やまあらしUsage16%
Hiragana spelling, also used.
山やま荒あらし
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form.
山やま荒あらし

Etymology

Compound of 山 (yama, 'mountain') and 荒らし (arashi, 'roughness' or 'storm'), possibly from the animal's bristly appearance. The exact derivation is uncertain.

rarely-used kanji form

Rarely used kanji form.

豪猪やまあらし

rarely-used kanji form

Rarely used kanji form.

山やま荒あらし

rarely-used kanji form

Rarely used kanji form.