noun
seal; earless seal; true seal
Refers specifically to earless seals (family Phocidae), as opposed to eared seals like sea lions (アシカ). In everyday use, アザラシ often covers seals in general.
See also: アシカ
水族館でアザラシのショーを見た。
I saw a seal show at the aquarium.
アザラシは氷の上で休んで
The seal was resting on the ice.
Rarely used kanji form; the reading あざらし is a jukujikun. The on'yomi かいひょう is also possible but very rare.
アシカ refers to eared seals (sea lions and fur seals), which have visible ear flaps and can walk on their flippers, unlike アザラシ.
トド is the Steller sea lion, a large eared seal; it is a specific type of アシカ, not an アザラシ.
オットセイ is a fur seal, another eared seal; it is also a type of アシカ, not an アザラシ.
The word アザラシ is of uncertain origin. It may be related to 痣 (aza, 'bruise') and ラシ (rashi, possibly from 海獺 rashio, 'sea otter'), but this is speculative. The kanji 海豹 literally mean 'sea leopard' and are a jukujikun reading.