竜宮の使

Japanese

Kanji in this term
竜	宮	使
りゅう Grade: S	ぐう Grade: 3	つか(い) Grade: 3
goon	kan'yōon	kun'yomi

Alternative spelling
龍宮の使 (kyūjitai)

Etymology

Literally, “messenger of the Dragon Palace”, 竜宮(りゅうぐう) (Ryūgū, “the undersea palace of the Dragon King of the Sea”) + の (no, possessive particle) + 使(つかい) (tsukai, “messenger”)

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) りゅうぐうのつかい [ryùúgúꜜù nò tsùkàì] (Nakadaka – [3])
• IPA^(key): [ɾʲɨːɡɯ̟ː no̞ t͡sɨka̠i]

Noun

竜(りゅう)宮(ぐう)の使(つかい) or 竜宮(リュウグウ)の使(ツカイ) • (ryūgū no tsukai) 

1. the giant oarfish, Regalecus russelii, a deep sea fish, known for its length and infrequent human spottings.

Usage notes

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