Hirudo nipponia (blood-sucking leech)
A specific species of leech native to Japan; used in biological and medical contexts.
Hirudo nipponia is a blood-sucking leech that inhabits Japan.
Kanji spelling; rarely used in practice.
Kanji spelling with irregular okurigana; rarely used.
Compound of 血吸い (chisui, 'blood-sucking') + 蛭 (hiru, 'leech'). The exact derivation is uncertain; the spelling is conventionally associated with the meaning.