noun
brown bear
Refers specifically to the brown bear (Ursus arctos), native to Hokkaido in Japan.
北海道ではヒグマに注意が必要です。
In Hokkaido, you need to be careful of brown bears.
ヒグマは雑食性の大型哺乳類です。
The brown bear is a large omnivorous mammal.
Rare kanji form; not commonly used.
Hiragana spelling, also acceptable.
The reading ひぐま is a compound of ひ (likely from 火 'fire', referring to the brownish color) and くま 'bear'. The kanji 羆 is a specific character for brown bear, but its origin is uncertain.