Translingual

Han character

螺 (radical 142 虫+11, 17 strokes, cangjie input 中戈田女火 (LIWVF), four-corner 5619₃, composition ⿰虫累)

1. spiral shell
2. conch
3. spiral

References

• KangXi: page 1095, character 12
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 33512
• Hanyu Da Zidian: volume 4, page 2885, character 5
• Unihan data for U+87BA

Chinese

Glyph origin

Pronunciation

Definitions

螺

1. aquatic snail (as opposed to a terrestrial snail, 蝸)

Compounds

Japanese

Kanji

(“Jinmeiyō” kanji used for names)

1. spiral-shaped shellfish

Readings

• Goon: ら (ra)
• Kan’on: ら (ra)
• Kun: つび (tsubi), つぶ (tsubu), つみ (tsumi), にし (nishi), にな (nina)

Etymology 1

From Middle Chinese 螺 ‎(lwa, “conch; spiral”).

Pronunciation

• On'yomi: Goon
• (Tokyo) ら​ [ráꜜ] (Atamadaka - [1])^[1]
• IPA^(key): [ɾ̠a̠]

Noun

螺 ‎(hiragana ら, romaji ra)

1. any shellfish with a spiral shell

Usage notes

In compounds, may lend meanings of either shell or spiral.

Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Old Japanese. Cognate with 粒 ‎(tsubu, “grain; granule, little roundish bit of something”).^[2] May have originally been the standalone form; compare 神 ‎(kamu, bound form, only used in compounds) and 神 ‎(kami, standalone form).

Pronunciation

• Kun'yomi
• IPA^(key): [t͡sɯᵝbi]

Noun

螺 ‎(hiragana つび, romaji tsubi)

1. (obsolete) spiral shellfish, especially smaller ones
2. (obsolete) alternate name for 蛤 ‎(hamaguri, “clam”)

Etymology 3

螺 (tsubu, tsubi, tsumi): a variety of whelks for sale.

From Old Japanese. Cognate with 粒 ‎(tsubu, “grain; granule, little roundish bit of something”).^[2] May have originally been the combining form; compare 神 ‎(kamu, bound form, only used in compounds) and 神 ‎(kami, standalone form).

Pronunciation

• Kun'yomi
• (Tokyo) つ​ぶ [tsúꜜbù] (Atamadaka - [1])^[1]
• IPA^(key): [t͡sɯᵝbɯᵝ]

Noun

螺 ‎(hiragana つぶ, romaji tsubu)

1. spiral shellfish, especially smaller ones
2. edible marine whelks of family Buccinidae
3. alternate name for 田螺 ‎(tanishi): river snails of family Viviparidae

Derived terms

Etymology 4

/t͡subi/ → /t͡sumi/

Shift in pronunciation from tsubi above.

Pronunciation

• Kun'yomi
• IPA^(key): [t͡sɯᵝmi]

Noun

螺 ‎(hiragana つみ, romaji tsumi)

1. (obsolete) spiral shellfish, especially smaller ones

Etymology 5

From Old Japanese. Previously referred to any shellfish with a spiral shell (see ra above). Now refers more specifically to certain spiral shellfish. More common in compounds.

Pronunciation

• Kun'yomi
• (Tokyo) に​し [níꜜshì] (Atamadaka - [1])^[1]
• IPA^(key): [niɕi]

Alternative forms

• 辛螺

Noun

螺 ‎(hiragana にし, romaji nishi)

1. (rare) certain shellfish with a spiral shell

Derived terms

Synonyms

• 螺 (にな) ‎(nina) (see below), 蜷 (にな) ‎(nina), 河貝子 (にな) ‎(nina)

Etymology 6

From Old Japanese.

Less common spelling in modern Japanese. When written in kanji, more commonly spelled 蜷.

Pronunciation

• Kun'yomi
• (Tokyo) にな​ [nìnáꜜ] (Odaka - [2])^[1]
• IPA^(key): [nĩna̠]

Alternative forms

• 蜷, 蝸螺, 河貝子

Noun

螺 ‎(hiragana にな, romaji nina)

1. shellfish with a spiral shell
2. Abbreviation of 川蜷. (kawanina): Semisulcospira libertina, a kind of freshwater snail

Derived terms

References

1. 1 2 3 4 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13905-9
2. 1 2 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan

Korean

Hanja

螺 • ‎(ra>na, re>ne) (hangeul 라>나, 레>네, revised ra>na, re>ne, McCune-Reischauer ra>na, re>ne, Yale la>na, ley>ney)

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

Vietnamese

Han character

螺 (loa, loe)

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.