also: きしゃご
Umbonium costatum; a type of sea snail
Refers to a specific species of small marine snail found in Japanese waters. The name is usually written in katakana as キサゴ.
Kisago is a small spiral shell commonly found on sandy beaches in Japan.
潮干狩りでキサゴをたくさん採った。
We gathered a lot of kisago shells while clam digging.
Katakana spelling is common for this species name; the word is usually written in kana.
Hiragana spelling, also used.
Kanji spelling; rarely used in practice.
Alternate reading, less common.
Alternate kanji spelling; rarely used.
Ateji spelling, historical and not used in modern Japanese.
The origin of the name キサゴ is uncertain. It may be derived from the sound of the shell or an old regional term. The kanji 細螺 and 扁螺 are descriptive, while 喜佐古 is ateji.