軟体(なんたい)

なんたい
noun
soft body; soft-bodied
1. soft body; soft-bodied
A body or form that is soft and flexible, lacking hard skeletal structure. Most commonly encountered in the compound 軟体動物(なんたいどうぶつ) (mollusk), but also used independently to describe flexibility.
タコは軟体(なんたい)動物(どうぶつ)です。
Octopuses are mollusks.
軟体(なんたい)動物(どうぶつ)は骨(ほね)がないため狭(せま)い隙間(すきま)にも入(はい)れる。
Soft-bodied animals have no bones, so they can fit into narrow gaps.
イカや貝(かい)など、軟体(なんたい)動物(どうぶつ)の種類(しゅるい)は世界中(せかいじゅう)に約(やく)10万(まん)種(しゅ)いると言(い)われている。
It is said that there are approximately 100,000 species of mollusks, including squid and shellfish, worldwide.

Combines 軟(なん) (soft) and 体(たい) (body). Almost always encountered in the compound 軟体動物(なんたいどうぶつ) (mollusks — the phylum Mollusca), which includes snails, clams, octopuses, and squid. Also used figuratively to describe a person with unusual flexibility.

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 軟体(な���たい)動物(どうぶつ): mollusk (the most common usage)
  • 軟体(なんたい)動物(どうぶつ)門(もん): phylum Mollusca
  • 軟体(なんたい)生物(せいぶつ): soft-bodied organism

RELATED TERMS:

  • 節足(せっそく)動物(どうぶつ): arthropod — another major invertebrate group
  • 甲殻(こうかく)類(るい): crustaceans — hard-shelled invertebrates, in contrast to soft-bodied ones
general
Added 2026.5.3 21:29
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