cherry blossom tellin; Nitidotellina nitidula
A small, pinkish bivalve shell commonly found on Japanese beaches; named for its cherry-blossom-like color.
I picked up a small cherry blossom tellin on the beach.
Cherry blossom tellins are used as a spring season word in haiku.
Standard kanji spelling; the shell's pink color resembles cherry blossoms.
Mixed kanji-kana spelling, sometimes used for readability.
Katakana spelling, often used in biological contexts or for emphasis.
From 桜 (sakura, 'cherry blossom') + 貝 (kai, 'shell'), referring to the shell's pink hue.