noun
python; rock snake
Refers to large non-venomous snakes of the family Pythonidae. In everyday Japanese, often written in katakana as ニシキヘビ.
動物園で大きなニシキヘビを見た。
I saw a large python at the zoo.
The word is usually written in kana; this katakana form is common in biological contexts.
Kanji form is rarely used; the word is usually written in kana.
Compound of 錦 (nishiki, 'brocade') + 蛇 (hebi, 'snake'), referring to the snake's patterned scales. The exact historical derivation is uncertain.