1.
mollusk; a member of the phylum Mollusca
The biological phylum that includes snails, slugs, clams, oysters, octopuses, and squid. Characterized by a soft, unsegmented body, typically protected by a hard shell. 軟体動物 is the standard Japanese equivalent of the scientific term 'Mollusca'.
タコは軟体動物だ。
The octopus is a mollusk.
イカやカタツムリは軟体動物に分類される。
Squid and snails are classified as mollusks.
海岸で観察できる貝類の多くは軟体動物で、硬い殻の中に柔らかい体を持っている。
Most of the shellfish one can observe on the shore are mollusks, with soft bodies housed inside a hard shell.
Compound of 軟体 ('soft body') and 動物 ('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 ('arthropods'), 脊椎動物 ('vertebrates'), etc.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 軟体動物に分類される: to be classified as a mollusk
- 軟体動物の仲間: members of the mollusk family
- 軟体動物門: phylum Mollusca (taxonomic)
- 軟体動物のよう: like a mollusk (limp, boneless)
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 節足動物: arthropod — the phylum including insects, spiders, and crustaceans; often contrasted in biology lessons.
- 脊椎動物: vertebrate — animals with a backbone.
- 貝類: shellfish — everyday category covering shelled mollusks (clams, oysters, snails); narrower than 軟体動物.
- 頭足類: cephalopod — a class within the mollusks that includes octopuses and squid.