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Definition 2024
海馬
海馬
See also: 海马
Japanese
Etymology 1
海馬 (umiuma, kaiba): a sea horse.
| Kanji in this term | |
|---|---|
| 海 | 馬 |
|
うみ Grade: 2 |
うま Grade: 2 |
| kun'yomi | |
Compound of 海 (umi, “ocean, sea”) + 馬 (uma, “horse”).[1][2]
Pronunciation
- Kun'yomi
- (Tokyo) うみうま [ùmíúmá] (Heiban - [0])[2]
- (Tokyo) うみうま [ùmíꜜùmà] (Nakadaka - [2])[2]
- IPA(key): [ɯᵝmiɯᵝma̠]
Noun
海馬 (hiragana うみうま, romaji umiuma)
Synonyms
- 竜落子 (tatsu no otoshigo)
Etymology 2
海馬 (kaiba): a walrus.
| Kanji in this term | |
|---|---|
| 海 | 馬 |
|
かい Grade: 2 |
ば Grade: 2 |
| on'yomi | |
From Middle Chinese 海馬 (xojX mæX, literally “sea + horse”). Compare modern Min Nan reading hái-bé.
Pronunciation
Noun
海馬 (hiragana かいば, romaji kaiba)
- sea horse
- walrus
- (anatomy) the hippocampus (a part of the brain)
Usage notes
The walrus sense is more commonly expressed using the term 海象 (seiuchi).
Synonyms
- (sea horse): 竜落子 (tatsu no otoshigo)
- (walrus): 海象 (seiuchi) (more common)
- (hippocampus): 海馬体 (kaibatai)
Etymology 3
海馬 (todo): a female and male Steller sea lion.
| Kanji in this term | |
|---|---|
| 海 | 馬 |
| Grade: 2 | Grade: 2 |
| Irregular | |
From Ainu トド (todo) or トト (toto, “sea lion”).[1]
Pronunciation
Alternative forms
Noun
海馬 (hiragana とど, katakana トド, romaji todo)
- the Steller sea lion, Eumetopias jubatus, the largest of the sea lion species
Usage notes
As with many terms that name organisms, this term is often spelled in katakana in biological contexts, as トド. The kanji spellings are rare. When written in kanji, the 胡獱 spelling may be more common, likely to avoid confusion with the alternate readings of the 海馬 spelling of umiuma and kaiba.