軟体動物(なんたいどうぶつ)

Compound of 軟体(なんたい) ('soft body') and 動物(どうぶつ) ('animal'). A literal calque of the Latin-derived scientific term 'Mollusca'.

Usage

• Primarily a biological classification term used in textbooks, science articles, and nature programs.
• Figuratively, 軟体動物(なんたいどうぶつ)のよう ('like a mollusk') is sometimes used to describe a person who looks limp, boneless, or lethargic — e.g., slumped over a desk.
• The phylum is one of the major divisions taught alongside 節足動物(せっそくどうぶつ) ('arthropods'), 脊椎動物(せきついどうぶつ) ('vertebrates'), etc.

Common collocations

• 軟体動物(なんたいどうぶつ)に分類(ぶんるい)される: to be classified as a mollusk
• 軟体動物(なんたいどうぶつ)の仲間(なかま): members of the mollusk family
• 軟体動物(なんたいどうぶつ)門(もん): phylum Mollusca (taxonomic)
• 軟体動物(なんたいどうぶつ)のよう: like a mollusk (limp, boneless)

Similar words

• 節足動物(せっそくどうぶつ): arthropod — the phylum including insects, spiders, and crustaceans; often contrasted in biology lessons.
• 脊椎動物(せきついどうぶつ): vertebrate — animals with a backbone.
• 貝類(かいるい): shellfish — everyday category covering shelled mollusks (clams, oysters, snails); narrower than 軟体動物(なんたいどうぶつ).
• 頭足類(とうそくるい): cephalopod — a class within the mollusks that includes octopuses and squid.