ザリガニ

ざ

り

が

に

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

crayfish; crawfish

usually written using kana alone

Refers to crayfish in general, but especially the Japanese crayfish (Cambaroides japonicus) or the invasive red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii).

川かわ

で

ザリガニ

を

捕つか

まえ

た

。

The children caught crayfish in the river.

アメリカザリガニは日本にほん全ぜん国こくに広ひろがっている。

Red swamp crayfish have spread throughout Japan.

〈場ば所しょ〉でザリガニを捕つかまえるto catch crayfish somewhere
川かわでザリガニを捕つかまえた。
I caught crayfish in the river.
糸いとでザリガニを釣つるto fish for crayfish using a piece of string
子こ供どもたちは糸いとでザリガニを釣つって遊あそんだ。
The children had fun fishing for crayfish with string.
ザリガニを飼かうto keep crayfish as a pet
水すい槽そうでザリガニを飼かっている。
I'm keeping crayfish in an aquarium.

エビ
エビ covers shrimp and prawns broadly, while ザリガニ refers specifically to freshwater crayfish, a distinct group.
カニN1
カニ is a crab with a flat, rounded body, whereas ザリガニ is a crayfish with a long tail and lobster-like shape.

匹ひきN3
counter for small animals · counter for rolls of cloth · archaic counter for horses · roll of cloth

ザリガニUsage96%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling is the most common written form; the word is usually written in kana.
ざりがにUsage4%
gikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun
Hiragana spelling, also common.
蝲蛄ざりがに
rarely-used kanji formgikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun
Rarely used kanji form; mainly encountered in specialized contexts.

The exact derivation is uncertain. The word is native Japanese, and the kanji forms are ateji.