洞ほら穴あな

also: どうけつ

ほ

ら

あ

な

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

General term for a natural underground hollow or cavity, from small rock shelters to large caverns. Can also refer to animal dens.

〈動どう物ぶつ〉が洞ほら穴あなに住すむfor an animal to live in a cave
クマは冬ふゆの間あいだ、洞ほら穴あなに住すむことが多おおい。
Bears often live in caves during the winter.
洞ほら穴あなを探たん検けんするto explore a cave
子こ供どもたちは山やまの中なかの洞ほら穴あなを探たん検けんした。
The children explored the cave in the mountains.
洞ほら穴あなに隠かくれるto hide in a cave
雨あめが降ふり出だしたので、みんな洞ほら穴あなに隠かくれた。
Since it started raining, everyone hid in the cave.

洞どう窟くつ
洞窟 is a more formal or scientific term for a cave, while 洞穴 is the everyday word for the same natural cavity.
巣す穴あな
巣穴 refers specifically to an animal's burrow or den, whereas 洞穴 is the broader term for any cave, including but not limited to animal dens.
洞ほら
洞 is a shorter, more casual way to say cave, while 洞穴 is the fuller, more standard everyday term.
岩いわ屋や
洞穴 is a common, everyday word for a hollow cave, whereas 岩屋 stresses a solid rocky enclosure suitable for dwelling.

箇か所しょN2
Used when referring to caves as locations or spots, not as a countable everyday object.

洞穴Usage91%
- ほらあな
  Standard kanji spelling; the most common reading is ほらあな.
- どうけつ
  On-reading; mainly found in formal or technical contexts, such as geology or archaeology.
ほら穴あなUsage9%
Mixed kanji-kana spelling, sometimes used for clarity or in children's materials.
どうけつ

The reading ほらあな is a compound of ほら (hollow, cavity) and 穴 (あな, hole). The on-reading どうけつ is from the kanji 洞 (cave) and 穴 (hole).