モモンガ

モ

ン

ガ

Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

Japanese flying squirrel; small Japanese flying squirrel; Japanese dwarf flying squirrel

usually written using kana alone

Refers specifically to Pteromys momonga, a small gliding mammal native to Japan. Often written in katakana as モモンガ.

ムササビ
ムササビ (Petaurista leucogenys) is a larger species of flying squirrel found in Japan, while モモンガ is smaller.

モモンガUsage72%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling is standard for this animal name; usually written in kana.
ももんがUsage28%
Hiragana spelling is also common and matches the usual-kana preference.
鼯鼠
rarely-used kanji form
- ももんが
  Rare kanji form; the reading ももんがあ is also recorded for this spelling but is very rare.
- ももんがあ
野衾ももんが
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form; may also be read のぶすま in other contexts.
ももんがあ

The origin of モモンガ is uncertain; it is a native Japanese word, and the kanji forms 鼯鼠 and 野衾 are rare ateji.