also: こけ · こけら
noun
Refers to the individual protective plates on fish, reptiles, and similar animals. Common in everyday language.
魚のうろこを取ってから料理する。
I remove the fish scales before cooking.
蛇のうろこは乾燥していて滑らかだ。
Snake scales are dry and smooth.
noun
serif (on kana or kanji)
Typography term for the small decorative strokes at the ends of character lines, especially in Mincho-style fonts. Often contrasted with sans-serif (ゴシック体).
明朝体の文字には、うろこがある。
Characters in Mincho font have serifs.
このフォントはうろこが強調されていて読みやすい。
This font has pronounced serifs and is easy to read.
Rare reading, mostly found in old or specialized texts.
Kana spelling is common and often preferred in everyday writing.
Katakana spelling used for emphasis or in informal contexts.
The origin is uncertain. The kanji 鱗 is a phono-semantic compound, but the Japanese reading うろこ is native and its derivation is unclear.