habu; yellow-spotted pit viper
A venomous pit viper native to the Ryukyu Islands. The name is typically written in katakana.
沖縄ではハブに注意するように言われます。
In Okinawa, people are told to watch out for habu snakes.
ハブは毒蛇の一種です。
The habu is a type of venomous snake.
マムシ (mamushi) is a different pit viper species found on the Japanese mainland, while ハブ is specific to the Ryukyu Islands.
Okinawa pit viper; Ryukyu Island pit viper
Okinawan habu; Trimeresurus flavoviridis
elegant pit viper; elegant tree viper
Taiwanese habu; Trimeresurus mucrosquamatus
habu jellyfish; Chironex yamaguchii
Katakana spelling is standard for this animal name; usually written in kana.
Hiragana spelling is also common and matches usual-kana usage.
Kanji spelling is rarely used; the katakana form is strongly preferred.
Obscure kanji form; it is rarely used.
The word is likely derived from a Ryukyuan language; the exact origin is uncertain.