hairy caterpillar; woolly bear
Refers to caterpillars with conspicuous hair or bristles, often considered unpleasant or irritating to touch.
There are many hairy caterpillars on the tree in the garden.
Touching a hairy caterpillar can sometimes cause a rash.
pest; nuisance person
Figurative, colloquial use for an annoying or troublesome person, similar to calling someone a 'pest' or 'nuisance' in English. Not a common modern insult; somewhat dated or playful.
That guy is a real pest.
Caterpillars have gotten onto the roses in the garden.
She detests that boss like a pest.
My arm turned bright red after getting a rash from a caterpillar.
We called a professional to exterminate the caterpillars in the garden.
毛虫 refers to caterpillars covered in noticeable hair or bristles, while 芋虫 refers to smooth, hairless caterpillars, so the two are often confused as generic 'caterpillar'.
counter for small animals · counter for rolls of cloth · archaic counter for horses · roll of cloth
Standard kanji spelling for the hairy caterpillar.
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing, especially for children or when the kanji is not needed.
Compound of 毛 (ke, 'hair') + 虫 (mushi, 'insect, bug'). The reading けむし is a straightforward combination of the kun'yomi readings.