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ホリネズミ (horinezumi) Japanese meaning: pocket gopher | Kotomora

ホリネズミ

also: ほりねずみ

ホ

リ

ネ

ズ

ミ

Meanings

1

pocket gopher

usually written using kana alone

Refers to the rodent family Geomyidae, known for burrowing and cheek pouches.

ホリネズミは地じ面めんにトンネルを掘ほる。
Pocket gophers dig tunnels in the ground.

Kanji

掘dig, delve, excavate
鼠rat, mouse, dark gray

Written forms

ほりねずみ
Hiragana spelling, also common.
掘ほり鼠ねずみ
Kanji form; rarely used in modern Japanese.

Etymology

From 掘り (hori, 'digging') + 鼠 (nezumi, 'rat/mouse'), describing its burrowing habit. The exact historical derivation is uncertain.