also: はくぞう · びゃくぞう
Refers to an actual white elephant (an albino elephant), or metaphorically to a burdensome possession that is expensive to maintain and hard to dispose of. The metaphorical sense is common in English but less frequent in Japanese; the word is primarily used for the animal.
In Thailand, white elephants are considered sacred animals.
That huge facility is like a white elephant, with high maintenance costs.
Standard kanji spelling. The reading しろぞう is the most common modern reading.
Alternate on-reading. Less common than しろぞう.
Alternate on-reading with rendaku. Rarely used.
Compound of 白 (しろ, 'white') and 象 (ぞう, 'elephant'). The reading しろぞう is a kun-on combination; はくぞう and びゃくぞう are on-on readings. The metaphorical meaning derives from the English idiom 'white elephant'.