moon rabbit; moon hare
Mythical rabbit said to live on the moon, often associated with mochi-pounding in Japanese folklore.
On the harvest moon, it is said that the moon rabbit is pounding mochi.
子どもに月のうさぎの話を聞かせた。
I told the children the story of the moon rabbit.
Standard kanji spelling for the moon rabbit myth.
Kana spelling is common in children's books and casual writing.
From 月 (moon) + の (possessive particle) + 兎 (rabbit). The myth originates from Buddhist and Chinese folklore, where a rabbit's image is seen on the moon.