割殻

Japanese

Kanji in this term
割	殻
わ(れ) Grade: 6	から Grade: S
kun’yomi

Alternative spellings
割殼 (kyūjitai) 破殻

Caprella equilibra(クビナガワレカラ), a species of skeleton shrimp(割殻)

Etymology

割(われ) (ware, “cracked”) + 殻(から) (kara, “shell”); derived from that its shell cracks when it dried up.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) わ​れから [wáꜜrèkàrà] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [ɰᵝa̠ɾe̞ka̠ɾa̠]

Noun

割(われ)殻(から) or 割殻(ワレカラ) • (warekara) 

1. a skeleton shrimp

Usage notes

From ancient times, this word was used as a material for waka poetry as a pun upon 我(われ)から (ware kara, “my fault, by myself”).

905-912, Kokin Wakashū:

海人(あま)の刈(か)る藻(も)に住(す)む虫(むし)のわれからと音(ね)をこそ泣(な)かめ世(よ)をばうらみじ

ama no karu mo ni sumu mushi no ware kara to ne o koso nakame yo o ba uramiji

Even I may cry "warekara [it's my fault], a bug which lives on the seaweed which fishermen reap", I shall never hate the world.

c. 900, The Tales of Ise:

恋(こ)ひわびぬ海人(あま)の刈(か)る藻(も)にやどるてふ我(われ)から身(み)をもくだきつるかな

koi wabinu ama no karu mo ni yadoru chō ware kara mi o mo kudaki tsuru ka na

Suffering in love; warekara [by myself], which is said to stay at the seaweed which fishermen reap; alas I'm crushing even my own body!