サザエ

also: さざい

サ

ザ

エ

Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

turban shell; horned turban

usually written using kana alone

Refers to any mollusc of the family Turbinidae, especially the horned turban (Turbo cornutus), a common edible sea snail in Japan.

サザエUsage90%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling is very common for this shellfish name; usually written in kana.
さざえUsage6%
Hiragana spelling, also common.
栄螺Usage4%
- さざえ
  Kanji spelling; rarely used in modern writing. The reading さざい is also associated with this form.
- さざい
  Alternate reading for the kanji form 栄螺; less common than さざえ.
拳螺さざえ
Obscure kanji form; not in modern use.
蠑螺さざえ
Obscure kanji form; not in modern use.
さざい

The origin is uncertain. The word is native Japanese, and the kanji forms are ateji (phonetic equivalents) with no direct semantic connection.