1.
spider
An eight-legged arachnid that spins webs.
蜘蛛がいる。
There's a spider.
蜘蛛を見つけた。
I found a spider.
蜘蛛が巣を作っている。
A spider is making a web.
庭に大きな蜘蛛の巣があった。
There was a big spider web in the garden.
蜘蛛は虫を捕まえて食べる。
Spiders catch and eat insects.
蜘蛛 means spider, an eight-legged arachnid known for spinning webs.
HOMOPHONE:
蜘蛛 (spider) and 雲 (cloud) have the same pronunciation but different kanji.
KANJI:
Usually written in kanji (蜘蛛) or hiragana (くも). The kanji are complex and specific to this word.
COMMON EXPRESSIONS:
- 蜘蛛の巣: spider web
- 蜘蛛が巣を張る: a spider spins a web
- 蜘蛛の糸: spider's thread
TYPES:
- 毒蜘蛛: poisonous spider
- 女郎蜘蛛: Joro spider (large golden orb weaver)
CULTURAL NOTE:
In Japanese folklore, spiders (蜘蛛) sometimes appear as 妖怪 (supernatural creatures), such as 土蜘蛛 and 絡新婦.
蜘蛛の子を散らす is an idiom meaning 'to scatter in all directions' (like baby spiders).