ヒグラシ

ヒ

グ

ラ

シ

Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

noun

evening cicada; Tanna japonensis

usually written using kana alone

A cicada species known for its high-pitched, melancholic call heard in late summer evenings, often associated with the end of summer in Japanese culture.

夕ゆう方がたになると、ヒグラシが鳴なき始はじめる。
In the evening, the evening cicadas start to sing.
ヒグラシの声こえを聞きくと、夏なつの終おわりを感かんじる。
Hearing the evening cicada's call makes me feel the end of summer.

See all 11 example sentences ›

Kanji

蜩clear-toned cicada
日day, sun, Japan
暮evening, twilight, season's end
茅miscanthus reed

Related words

セミ
General term for cicada; ヒグラシ is a specific species.
アブラゼミ
Large brown cicada, the most common species in Japan; its call is louder and more robust than the high, clear song of the ヒグラシ.
ミンミンゼミ
Cicada with a distinctive 'min-min' call, active during the hottest part of summer, unlike the evening-calling ヒグラシ.

Written forms

ヒグラシUsage68%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling is common for this cicada name; the word is usually written in kana.
日ひ暮ぐらしUsage31%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form.
茅蜩ひぐらしUsage1%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form.
ひぐらし
Hiragana spelling, also common.
蜩ひぐらし
Single-kanji form; rarely used in modern writing.

Etymology

The name ヒグラシ likely derives from 日暮らし (ひぐらし), meaning 'living day by day' or 'spending the whole day,' possibly referring to its call that continues from morning to evening, or to the melancholic feeling of the end of a day. The exact origin is uncertain.