1.
silkworm
The domesticated larva of the silk moth (Bombyx mori), which spins a cocoon of silk thread. Has been bred for thousands of years for silk production.
蚕が繭を作る。
The silkworm makes a cocoon.
蚕は桑の葉を食べて育つ。
Silkworms grow by eating mulberry leaves.
かつて日本では蚕を飼って生糸を作る養蚕業が盛んだった。
In the past, the sericulture industry — raising silkworms to produce raw silk — was thriving in Japan.
A domesticated insect that has been bred for silk production for over 5,000 years. The kanji 蚕 uses the 虫 radical, indicating it is an insect.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 蚕を飼う: to raise silkworms
- 蚕の繭: silkworm cocoon
- 蚕棚: silkworm shelf/rack (for raising silkworms)
RELATED WORDS:
- 繭: cocoon — the silk structure the silkworm spins around itself
- 生糸: raw silk — unprocessed silk thread from cocoons
- 養蚕: sericulture — the practice of raising silkworms for silk
- 桑: mulberry — the plant whose leaves silkworms eat exclusively
CULTURAL NOTE:
Sericulture was one of Japan's most important industries from the Meiji period through the early 20th century, with raw silk being a major export. The 富岡製糸場 (Tomioka Silk Mill) in Gunma Prefecture, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is a symbol of this history.