海馬
Chinese
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Etymology
- sea horse
- So named as its shape is similar to horse's head. First used in the Tang dynasty-era 《本草拾遺》 (Supplements to the Compendium of Materia Medica).
Pronunciation
Noun
海馬
Synonyms
- (sea horse):
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Descendants
Japanese
Etymology 1

Kanji in this term | |
---|---|
海 | 馬 |
うみ Grade: 2 |
うま Grade: 2 |
kun’yomi |
Alternative spelling |
---|
海馬 (kyūjitai) |
Compound of 海 (umi, “ocean, sea”) + 馬 (uma, “horse”).[1][2]
Pronunciation
Usage notes
- As with many terms that name organisms, this term is often spelled in katakana, especially in biological contexts (where katakana is customary), as ウミウマ.
Etymology 2

Kanji in this term | |
---|---|
海 | 馬 |
かい Grade: 2 |
ば Grade: 2 |
on’yomi |
Alternative spelling |
---|
海馬 (kyūjitai) |
From Lua error in Module:utilities at line 142: attempt to perform arithmetic on local 'h' (a nil value). Compare Lua error in Module:utilities at line 142: attempt to perform arithmetic on local 'h' (a nil value), Lua error in Module:utilities at line 142: attempt to perform arithmetic on local 'h' (a nil value), Lua error in Module:utilities at line 142: attempt to perform arithmetic on local 'h' (a nil value).
Noun
海馬 • (kaiba)
Usage notes
- As with many terms that name organisms, this term is often spelled in katakana, especially in biological contexts (where katakana is customary), as カイバ.
Synonyms
- (hippocampus): 海馬体 (kaibatai)
Etymology 3
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Kanji in this term | |
---|---|
海 | 馬 |
Grade: 2 | Grade: 2 |
irregular |
Alternative spelling |
---|
海馬 (kyūjitai) |
From Ainu トド (todo), トト (toto, “sea lion”).[1] The kanji is jukujikun (熟字訓).
Alternative forms
Usage notes
As with many terms that name organisms, this term is often spelled in katakana, especially in biological contexts (where katakana is customary), as トド. The kanji spellings are rare. When written in kanji, the 胡獱 spelling may be more common, likely to avoid confusion with the alternate readings of the 海馬 spelling of umiuma and kaiba.
References
- 1988, 国語大辞典(新装版) (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
- 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN