メダカ

Japanese

Alternative forms

• 目高

Etymology

Compound of 目(め) (me, “eye”) + 高(たか) (taka, “high”), in reference to its appearance. The ta changes to da as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) メダカ [mèdáká] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [me̞da̠ka̠]

Noun

メダカ or めだか • (medaka) 

1. medaka, Japanese ricefish, Oryzias latipes, a small freshwater fish
2. killifish, any of various species in the Aplocheilidae, Cyprinodontidae, Fundulidae, Profundulidae, or Valenciidae families

Usage notes

• As with many terms that name organisms, this term is often spelled in katakana, especially in biological contexts (where katakana is customary).