三味線貝
Japanese edit
Kanji in this term | |||
---|---|---|---|
三 | 味 | 線 | 貝 |
しゃ Grade: 1 (ateji) |
み Grade: 3 (ateji) |
せん Grade: 2 |
かい > がい Grade: 1 |
irregular | goon | on’yomi | kun’yomi |
Etymology edit
Compound of 三味線 (shamisen, a Japanese plucked string instrument) + 貝 (kai, “shellfish”).
The kai changes to gai as an instance of rendaku (連濁)..
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
三味線貝 • (shamisengai) ←しやみせんがひ (syamisengafi)?
- a lamp shell, lingulate brachiopod of the family Lingulidae
Usage notes edit
As with many terms that name organisms, this term is often spelled in katakana, especially in biological contexts (where katakana is customary), as シャミセンガイ.