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霊長類 (れいちょうるい) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

霊れい長ちょう類るい

れ

い

ちょ

う

る

い

Meanings

1

noun

Refers to the biological order Primates, including monkeys, apes, and humans. Used in scientific and general contexts.

人にん間げんは霊れい長ちょう類るいの一いっ種しゅです。
Humans are a type of primate.
霊れい長ちょう類るいの研けん究きゅうをしている。
I am researching primates.

Kanji

霊spirits, soul
長long, leader, superior
類sort, kind, variety

Similar words

哺ほ乳にゅう類るい
哺乳類 means 'mammals', a broader class that includes primates.
猿さる
猿 is the common word for 'monkey', a subset of primates, while 霊長類 is the formal taxonomic term.

Etymology

From 霊長 (reijū, 'lord of all creation', an old term for humanity) + 類 (rui, 'category, order'). The term was coined in Japanese as a translation of the taxonomic order Primates.