also: かいぞう
noun
walrus
The large marine mammal Odobenus rosmarus. Usually written in katakana as セイウチ. The kanji 海象 is a gikun reading.
from Russian sivuch
水族館で大きなセイウチを見た。
I saw a big walrus at the aquarium.
セイウチの長い牙は特徴的だ。
The walrus's long tusks are distinctive.
noun
elephant seal
Only when written 海象 · Only with reading かいぞう
Refers to the elephant seal (Mirounga spp.), a different marine mammal. This sense is restricted to the reading かいぞう and the kanji 海象. It is a rare, specialized term; the more common word is ゾウアザラシ.
See also: ゾウアザラシ
海象はゾウアザラシの別名として使われることがある。
海象 (かいぞう) is sometimes used as another name for the elephant seal.
Kanji spelling for walrus; the reading せいうち is a gikun (meaning-based reading).
Kanji spelling for elephant seal, read with the on'yomi かいぞう.
Alternate kanji spelling for walrus; 海馬 more commonly refers to seahorse (タツノオトシゴ) or hippocampus.
Borrowed from Russian сивуч (sivuch), meaning sea lion, via Ainu. The kanji 海象 (sea elephant) and 海馬 (sea horse) are ateji based on the animal's appearance.