おたまじゃくし
おたまじゃくし
noun
tadpole; (informal) musical note
1.
tadpole; pollywog
The aquatic larval stage of a frog or toad, with a round body and tail but no legs.
池におたまじゃくしがたくさんいる。
There are lots of tadpoles in the pond.
おたまじゃくしから足が生え始めた。
Legs are starting to grow on the tadpoles.
子供たちは春になるとおたまじゃくしを捕まえに田んぼへ行った。
When spring came, the children went to the rice paddies to catch tadpoles.
2.
musical note (informal)
A playful colloquial term for the round-headed notes on a musical staff, which resemble tadpoles.
楽譜のおたまじゃくしが読めない。
I can't read the notes on the sheet music.
孫に「おたまじゃくしを書いて」と言われて、音符のことだと気付いた。
When my grandchild asked me to "write a tadpole," I realized they meant a musical note.
ピアノの先生は冗談っぽく「このおたまじゃくしは何て読むの？」と聞いた。
The piano teacher jokingly asked, "What note is this little tadpole?"
Literally "little お玉 (ladle) + じゃくし (ladle/dipper)." The shape of a tadpole resembles a small ladle. The kanji form 御玉杓子 exists but the kana form is standard.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- おたまじゃくしを捕まえる: to catch tadpoles
- おたまじゃくしから蛙になる: to grow from tadpole to frog
- 楽譜のおたまじゃくし: musical notes on a score (sense 2)
SENSE NOTE:
Sense 2 is informal/childlike, often used by people who can't read music or by music teachers speaking to children. It refers to the round notehead shape.