齧げっ歯し動どう物ぶつ

Meanings

1

rodent; gnawing animal

Biological term for animals of the order Rodentia. The gloss 'gnawing animal' is a literal description of the kanji meaning.

ネズミやリスは齧げっ歯し動どう物ぶつに分ぶん類るいされる。
Mice and squirrels are classified as rodents.
齧げっ歯し動どう物ぶつの歯はは生しょう涯がい伸のび続つづける。
Rodents' teeth continue to grow throughout their lives.

Kanji

齧gnaw, nibble, munch
歯tooth, cog
動move, motion, change
物thing, object, matter

Related words

ネズミ
Common word for 'mouse' or 'rat'; 齧歯動物 is the formal biological term for the entire order.
げっ歯し類るい
Synonymous term also meaning 'rodents'; 齧歯動物 is slightly more formal and less common in everyday speech.

Built from

齧げっ歯し+動どう物ぶつ

Written forms

齧げっ歯し動どう物ぶつ
Standard kanji spelling for 'rodent' in biological contexts.
げっ歯し動どう物ぶつ
Mixed kanji-kana spelling; the first character is often written in kana because 齧 is not a jōyō kanji.

Etymology

Compound of 齧 (げっ, 'gnaw'), 歯 (し, 'tooth'), and 動物 (どうぶつ, 'animal'). The reading げっ for 齧 is irregular and likely derived from the kanji's on'yomi.