蚕(かいこ)

かいこ
noun
silkworm
natureanimal-insect
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(かいこ)が繭(まゆ)を作(つく)る。
The silkworm makes a cocoon.
蚕(かいこ)は桑(くわ)の葉(は)を食(た)べて育(そだ)つ。
Silkworms grow by eating mulberry leaves.
かつて日本(にほん)では蚕(かいこ)を飼(か)って生糸(きいと)を作(つく)る養蚕(ようさん)業(ぎょう)が盛(さか)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(かいこ) uses the 虫(むし) radical, indicating it is an insect.

Common collocations

  • 蚕(かいこ)を飼(か)う: to raise silkworms
  • 蚕(かいこ)の繭(まゆ): silkworm cocoon
  • 蚕(かいこ)棚(だな): silkworm shelf/rack (for raising silkworms)

Related words

  • 繭(まゆ): cocoon — the silk structure the silkworm spins around itself
  • 生糸(きいと): raw silk — unprocessed silk thread from cocoons
  • 養蚕(ようさん): sericulture — the practice of raising silkworms for silk
  • 桑(くわ): 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(とみおかせいしじょう) (Tomioka Silk Mill) in Gunma Prefecture, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is a symbol of this history.

Related Words

Related: 繭(まゆ) (cocoon)
Related: 生糸(きいと) (raw silk)
Related: 桑(くわ) (mulberry)
Related: 絹糸(きぬいと) (silk thread)
general
Added 2026.4.1 23:16 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
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