イモムシ

い

も

む

し

Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

noun

hornworm; hairless caterpillar

usually written using kana alone

Refers to a caterpillar without prominent hairs, especially the larva of hawk moths (Sphingidae). Often used for the green, fleshy caterpillars found on plants like sweet potato or tomato.

Kanji

芋taro, yam, tuber
虫insect, bug, temper

Don't confuse with

蚕かいこ
芋虫 is a general term for any caterpillar and can look similar to 蚕, but 蚕 specifically means the domesticated silk-producing silkworm.
芋いもN1
芋虫 shares the kanji 芋 but means 'caterpillar', a completely different concept from 芋 the tuber.
毛け虫むし
毛虫 refers to caterpillars covered in noticeable hair or bristles, while 芋虫 refers to smooth, hairless caterpillars, so the two are often confused as generic 'caterpillar'.

Built from

芋いも+虫むし

Written forms

イモムシUsage20%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling is common; usually written in kana.
いもむしUsage32%
Hiragana spelling is also used, especially in children's contexts.
芋いも虫むしUsage31%
Kanji spelling is less common but still encountered.
イモ虫むしUsage10%
search-only kanji form
いも虫むしUsage7%
search-only kanji form

Etymology

Compound of 芋 (imo, 'potato, tuber') and 虫 (mushi, 'insect, worm'), from the caterpillar's resemblance to a potato or its association with tuber plants.