レイヨウ

れ

い

よ

う

Meanings

1

noun

antelope

usually written using kana alone

Refers to antelope species; typically written in katakana.

アフリカのサバンナにはレイヨウがたくさんいる。
There are many antelopes on the African savanna.

よう

pronghorn; pronghorn antelope

キリンレイヨウ

gerenuk; Waller's gazelle

Written forms

レイヨウUsage75%
kana-only spelling
Usually written in katakana; usually written in kana.
羚れい羊ようUsage25%
Kanji form is rare and mainly encountered in older or formal texts.

Etymology

The reading れいよう is a Sino-Japanese on'yomi reading of the kanji 羚羊, which is a Chinese-derived term for antelope. The katakana form レイヨウ is the standard modern spelling.