The Meaning of 海豚

The Meaning of 海豚

There is a word 海豚, which is a combination of the kanji 海, meaning "sea," and the kanji 豚, meaning "pig."

The literal meaning of 海豚 is "sea pig," but do you know what it reads and what it actually means?

The answer is 'iruka' (イルカ), which means "dolphin."

The word 海豚 was introduced from China to Japan using the same Chinese characters and meaning.

According to a 16th-century Chinese encyclopedia, 海豚 came from the fact that dolphins are sea-dwelling, pig-like creatures.

Personally, I do not think dolphins and pigs are very similar.

「海豚」の意味

"Sea" を意味する「海」と "pig" を意味する「豚」を組み合わせた「海豚」という言葉があります。

「海豚」の漢字どおりの意味は "sea pig" ですが、実際には何と読み、何を意味するかわかりますか？

答えは、"dolphin" を意味する「イルカ」です。

「海豚」は中国語で、そのままの形と意味で日本に伝わりました。

16世紀の中国の百科事典によると、「海に住む、豚に似た生き物」という事実に由来するとのことです。

個人的には、イルカと豚はあまり似ていないと思います。

• The Meaning of 海豚
• This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!

• There is a word 海豚, which is a combination of the kanji 海, meaning "sea," and the kanji 豚, meaning "pig."
• This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!

• The literal meaning of 海豚 is "sea pig," but do you know what it reads and what it actually means?
• The literal meaning of 海豚 is "sea pig," but do you know how it is read and what it actually means?

  how it is read -- "read" is the past participle here, pronounced like "red"
  is read -- passive form of the verb "to read"

• The answer is 'iruka' (イルカ), which means "dolphin."
• This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!

• The word 海豚 was introduced from China to Japan using the same Chinese characters and meaning.
• This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!

• According to a 16th-century Chinese encyclopedia, 海豚 came from the fact that dolphins are sea-dwelling, pig-like creatures.
• This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!

• Personally, I do not think dolphins and pigs are very similar.
• This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!

I would have expected it to mean "manatee" (マナティー) rather than "dolphin." (Another name for "manatee" is "sea cow".) We have manatees here in Florida, although they were categorized as an endangered species until a few years ago, and are still categorized as "vulnerable."