whirligig beetle
Refers to insects of the family Gyrinidae, especially the Japanese whirligig beetle (Gyrinus japonicus). Known for swimming rapidly in circles on the water surface.
A whirligig beetle was spinning around on the pond.
pond skater; water strider
Sometimes used loosely for pond skaters/water striders (アメンボ), but this is not the primary meaning. The standard term for pond skater is アメンボ.
See also: アメンボ (あめんぼ)
In some regions, pond skaters are also called ミズスマシ.
Katakana spelling is common for this insect name; usually written in kana.
Mixed kanji-kana spelling.
Hiragana spelling, also common.
Kanji spelling; rarely used in practice.
Variant kanji spelling.
Abbreviated kanji spelling.
Literally 'water clearer' or 'water purifier', from 水 (water) + 澄まし (clearing, making clear). The name likely refers to the insect's habit of swimming on the water surface, which may have been associated with clearing or skimming the water.