Refers to the blood-sucking worm. Commonly written in katakana.
While swimming in the river, I got bitten by a leech.
I got bitten by a leech while swimming in the river.
I noticed a leech had attached itself to my leg.
counter for small animals · counter for rolls of cloth · archaic counter for horses · roll of cloth
land leech; Haemadipsa zeylanica japonica
Helobdella stagnalis (species of leech)
mangrove (Rhizophoraceae)
vermiculite
Potamogeton distinctus; a species of pondweed
Usually written in katakana.
Kanji form; rarely used in practice.
The origin is uncertain; the word is native Japanese.