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ヘラチョウザメ

へ

ら

ちょ

う

ざ

め

Meanings

1

American paddlefish

usually written using kana alone

A freshwater fish native to North America, known for its long, paddle-shaped snout. Scientific name: Polyodon spathula.

ヘラチョウザメはミシシッピ川がわ流りゅう域いきに生せい息そくする。
The American paddlefish inhabits the Mississippi River basin.
水すい族ぞく館かんでヘラチョウザメの長ながい吻ふんを見みた。
I saw the long snout of an American paddlefish at the aquarium.

Kanji

箆spatula, arrow shaft
蝶butterfly
鮫shark

Related words

チョウザメ
Refers to sturgeon in general; ヘラチョウザメ is a specific species of paddlefish, not a true sturgeon.

Built from

ヘラ+チョウザメ

Written forms

ヘラチョウザメ
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling is standard for this species name; the kanji form 箆蝶鮫 is rare and mainly used in taxonomic contexts.
箆へら蝶ちょう鮫ざめ
Kanji spelling; very rare and mostly found in older or specialized literature.

Etymology

Compound of 箆 (hera, 'spatula') + 蝶鮫 (chōzame, 'sturgeon'), referring to the paddle-shaped snout. The exact historical derivation is uncertain; the katakana spelling is standard for this loanword-like native name.