Usage patterns 〈 物もの 〉 の 殻から をむく to peel/shell something (e.g. an egg, a shrimp)
I peeled the shell off the egg and put it in the salad.
〈 物もの 〉 の 殻から を 割わ る to crack the shell of something
I had a hard time cracking the walnut shell.
殻から から 出で る to come out of one's shell (literally or figuratively)
The chick came out of its shell.
Expressions もぬけの 殻から completely empty; vacant; deserted · lifeless body; corpse · shed skin; molted exoskeleton 殻から を 破やぶ る break out of one's shell; make a fresh start; go beyond one's limits 殻から を 閉と ざす close up like an oyster; retire into one's shell 殻から に 閉と じこもる withdraw into oneself; shut oneself away; seclude oneself Related words 甲羅 specifically names the hard carapace of crabs, turtles, and similar creatures, whereas 殻 is the general word for any hard outer covering (eggs, nuts, shells, etc.).
殻 is the general word for any shell or husk, while いが names specifically the spiky burr covering chestnuts and similar nuts.
殻 is a general word for any outer shell or husk, whereas 貝殻 specifically means a seashell.
Word family· 27 seashell; shell
cast-off skin; exuvia; empty shell
cigarette butt; cigarette end; tobacco ashes
rice husks; chaff
red iron oxide; red ocher
Show 10 more Show fewer used tea leaves; coffee grounds
skeleton shrimp; spectre shrimp
flail (for threshing grain)
ashes
coal cinders; cinders
used tea leaves; spent tea leaves
bean plant remnants; beanstalks and pods; bean husk
crab shell; crab shell meal
spent grounds; used tea leaves; used coffee grounds
eggshell
See all 27 in Explore →
Written forms 殻から Usage 94%
Standard kanji spelling for shell, husk, hull, or pod.
骸から Usage 3%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; primarily associated with 'corpse' or 'remains' in other contexts.
カラ Usage 3%
から Usage 1%
Etymology The historical derivation is uncertain; the kanji 殻 is conventionally associated with 'shell' or 'husk'.
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