also: ホタルがり
firefly watching
Refers to the activity of going out to observe fireflies, typically on summer evenings.
On a summer night, we enjoyed firefly watching along the river.
firefly catching
Dated term for catching fireflies, often associated with traditional summer pastimes. Modern usage usually refers to watching rather than catching.
In the old days, children used to play by catching fireflies.
Standard kanji-kana mixed spelling.
Katakana spelling for ホタル, sometimes used for emphasis or in informal contexts.
Hiragana spelling for ほたる, common in casual writing.
Abbreviated kanji form without okurigana; less common.
Compound of 蛍 (ほたる, 'firefly') and 狩り (かり, 'hunting'), literally 'firefly hunting'. The term originally referred to catching fireflies but shifted to mean watching them as the practice became less common.