鼠(ねずみ)

ねずみ
noun
mouse, rat
animal-mammal
1. mouse, rat
A small rodent.
鼠(ねずみ)が出(で)た。
A mouse appeared.
猫(ねこ)が鼠(ねずみ)を追(お)いかけている。
The cat is chasing the mouse.
台所(だいどころ)で鼠(ねずみ)が走(はし)り回(まわ)る音(おと)がした。
I heard the sound of a mouse running around in the kitchen.
古(ふる)い家(いえ)に引(ひ)っ越(こ)したら、天井裏(てんじょううら)で鼠(ねずみ)が走(はし)る音(おと)が聞(き)こえて困(こま)った。
After moving into an old house, I was troubled by the sound of mice running in the ceiling.
昔(むかし)は鼠(ねずみ)が米(こめ)を食(た)べてしまうので、農家(のうか)の人(ひと)たちは猫(ねこ)を飼(か)って鼠(ねずみ)を追(お)い払(はら)っていた。
In the past, mice would eat the rice, so farmers kept cats to chase them away.

鼠(ねずみ) is the general term for mice and rats - small rodents found worldwide.

Writing

The kanji 鼠(ねずみ) is complex (13 strokes) and often written in hiragana as ねずみ in everyday use.

Types

  • 家鼠(いえねずみ): house mouse
  • 溝鼠(どぶねずみ): brown rat, sewer rat
  • 野鼠(のねずみ): field mouse
  • ハムスター: hamster (a popular pet)

CHINESE ZODIAC (十二支(じゅうにし)):

  • 子(ね) is the first of the twelve zodiac animals
  • 子年(ねどし): Year of the Rat
  • People born in rat years are said to be clever and resourceful

Expressions and idioms

Color

鼠色(ねずみいろ): mouse-gray (a muted gray color popular in traditional Japanese aesthetics)

Cultural note

  • Mice/rats have mixed symbolism in Japan
  • Associated with 大黒天(だいこくてん) (god of wealth) - mice are his messengers
  • Also seen as pests that damage crops and spread disease

Related words

Related Words

Related: 猫(ねこ) (cat)
Related: 罠(わな) (trap)
Related: 齧歯類(げっしるい) (rodent)
Related: 二十日鼠(はつかねずみ) (house mouse (Mus musculus))
core
Added 2026.1.9 21:35 · Revised 2026.9.2 12:02
02000/02238_nezumi