1.
frog
An amphibian that lives both in water and on land, known for its jumping ability and croaking sound.
田んぼで蛙が鳴いている。
Frogs are croaking in the rice paddy.
蛙が池に飛び込んだ。
A frog jumped into the pond.
This echoes Matsuo Bashō's famous haiku
子供の頃、よく蛙を捕まえて遊んだ。
When I was a child, I often played by catching frogs.
夏の夜、田んぼの近くを歩くと蛙の合唱が聞こえる。
On summer nights, you can hear a chorus of frogs when walking near the rice paddies.
蛙の合唱 = chorus of frogs
「蛙の子は蛙」ということわざは、子は親に似るという意味で使われる。
The proverb 'a frog's child is a frog' is used to mean that children take after their parents.
蛙 refers to frogs in general, sometimes also including toads.
Alternative kanji: 蛙 (literary/poetic reading)
Common expressions:
- 蛙の子は蛙 (like father, like son; literally "a frog's child is a frog")
- 井の中の蛙大海を知らず (a frog in a well knows nothing of the great ocean - narrow-minded person)
- 蛙の合唱 (chorus of frogs)
Counter: 匹
Cultural note:
蛙 is a homophone of 帰る (to return), so frog charms are popular as good luck items for safe returns. Matsuo Bashō's famous haiku about a frog jumping into a pond (古池や蛙飛び込む水の音) is one of the most well-known poems in Japanese literature.