えら

え

ら

Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

noun

gills; branchia

usually written using kana alone

The respiratory organ of fish and other aquatic animals. The most common meaning.

魚さかなのえらは呼こ吸きゅうに使つかわれる。
Fish gills are used for breathing.
えらが赤あかい魚さかなは新しん鮮せんだ。
Fish with red gills are fresh.

noun

angle of the mandible; gonial angle

usually written using kana alone

Anatomical term for the lower rear corner of the jawbone. Less common than the 'gills' sense.

下か顎がく骨こつのえら部ぶ分ぶんを触さわると痛いたい。
It hurts when I touch the gonial angle of my mandible.

See all 29 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈物もの〉で呼こ吸きゅうするto breathe through (an organ like the gills)
魚さかなは鰓えらで呼こ吸きゅうする。
Fish breathe through their gills.
えらが張はるto have a prominent/square jawline
彼かれは鰓えらが張はった顔かおをしている。
He has a square-jawed face.

Kanji

鰓gills, gill slits
腮jaw
顋lower part of face, jaw, gills of a fish

Counted with

対ついN2
Used for a pair of gills, since fish gills naturally come as left and right sides.

Word family

櫛くし鰓えら
ctenidium; comb gill
ウミエラ
sea pen; sea feather
鰓えら孔あな
gill slit · pharyngeal slit
えら蓋ぶた
gill cover; operculum

Written forms

えらUsage19%
Usually written in kana; the kanji forms 鰓, 腮, and 顋 are rare.
エラUsage65%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling, sometimes used in biological contexts or for emphasis.
鰓えらUsage17%
Rare kanji form for 'gills'.
腮えら
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form, sometimes used for the anatomical sense 'angle of the mandible'.
顋えら
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form, sometimes used for the anatomical sense 'angle of the mandible'.

Etymology

The origin is uncertain. The word is native Japanese and has been used since ancient times to refer to the gills of fish. The anatomical sense is a metaphorical extension based on the shape.