1.
horsefly; gadfly; deerfly
A large biting fly that feeds on the blood of mammals. Common in rural and mountainous areas of Japan during summer.
虻に刺された。
I was bitten by a horsefly.
川の近くには虻が多いので気をつけて。
Be careful near the river because there are a lot of horseflies.
夏の山では虻が飛び回っていて、長袖を着ないと何箇所も刺されることがある。
In the mountains during summer, horseflies buzz around, and if you don't wear long sleeves you can get bitten in multiple places.
Often written in hiragana or katakana (アブ) rather than the kanji 虻. Horseflies are a common nuisance in rural Japan, especially near water and livestock. Their bites are painful and can cause significant swelling.
The proverb 虻蜂取らず (literally "catching neither the horsefly nor the bee") means trying to do two things at once and failing at both — equivalent to the English "between two stools."
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 虻に刺される: to be bitten by a horsefly
- 虻が飛ぶ: a horsefly buzzes/flies
- 虻除け: horsefly repellent
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 蚊: mosquito — smaller, quieter, bites at night
- 蜂: bee; wasp — stings rather than bites
- 蠅: housefly — does not bite, attracted to food and waste