Chinese edit

river suckling pig
trad. (河豚)
simp. #(河豚)
alternative forms 河魨河鲀 pufferfish
 
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Pronunciation edit


Noun edit

河豚

  1. blowfish; puffer
  2. river dolphin

Synonyms edit

Hyponyms edit

Derived terms edit

Japanese edit

 
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河豚 (fugu, katon): a blowfish in a tank.

Etymology 1 edit

Kanji in this term
Grade: 5 Grade: S
jukujikun

In light of the older pronunciation fuku,[1] most likely derived from the verb 吹く (fuku, to blow), perhaps from the way the fish blow sand to find food. Alternatively, related to the verb 膨れる (fukureru, to swell up, to expand).

Alternative forms edit

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

河豚(ふぐ) or 河豚(フグ) (fugu

  1. a blowfish
  2. (slang) a fat and unattractive woman
  3. (slang) someone who is quick to anger and who puffs up
  4. (slang) a gun (from the way that getting hit may kill)
Usage notes edit
  • The kanji spelling is uncommonly used. Usually spelled in kana.
  • As with many terms that name organisms, this term is often spelled in katakana, especially in biological contexts (where katakana is customary), as フグ.
Synonyms edit
Descendants edit
  • English: fugu

Etymology 2 edit

Kanji in this term

Grade: 5
とん
Grade: S
kan’on

From Middle Chinese 河豚 (MC ha dwon, literally “river + pig”). Compare modern Mandarin reading hétún.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

()(とん) or 河豚(カトン) (katon

  1. blowfish
Usage notes edit

This reading is less common than fugu above.

References edit

  1. ^ Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典(新装版) [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
  2. 2.0 2.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  3. ^ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK Publishing, →ISBN
  4. ^ Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN