(くも)

くも
noun
spider
1. spider
An eight-legged arachnid that spins webs.
蜘蛛(くも)がいる。
There's a spider.
蜘蛛(くも)()つけた。
I found a spider.
蜘蛛(くも)()(つく)っている。
A spider is making a web.
(にわ)(おお)きな蜘蛛(くも)()があった。
There was a big spider web in the garden.
蜘蛛(くも)(むし)(つか)まえて()べる。
Spiders catch and eat insects.

蜘蛛(くも) means spider, an eight-legged arachnid known for spinning webs.

HOMOPHONE:
蜘蛛(くも) (spider) and (くも) (cloud) have the same pronunciation but different kanji.

KANJI:
Usually written in kanji (蜘蛛(くも)) or hiragana (くも). The kanji are complex and specific to this word.

COMMON EXPRESSIONS:

  • 蜘蛛(くも)(): spider web
  • 蜘蛛(くも)()()る: a spider spins a web
  • 蜘蛛(くも)(いと): spider's thread

TYPES:

  • 毒蜘蛛(どくぐも): poisonous spider
  • 女郎蜘蛛(じょろうぐも): Joro spider (large golden orb weaver)

CULTURAL NOTE:
In Japanese folklore, spiders (蜘蛛(くも)) sometimes appear as 妖怪(ようかい) (supernatural creatures), such as 土蜘蛛(つちぐも) and 絡新婦(じょろうぐも).

蜘蛛(くも)()()らす is an idiom meaning 'to scatter in all directions' (like baby spiders).