石持

Japanese

Kanji in this term
石	持
いし Grade: 1	も(ち) Grade: 3
kun’yomi

Etymology

Compound of 石(いし) (ishi, “stone”) + 持(も)ち (mochi, “possession, ownership”). Literally, “having stones”, referring to the prominently large otoliths in the croakers' skulls.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) いしも​ち [ìshímóꜜchì] (Nakadaka – [3])
• IPA^(key): [iɕimo̞t͡ɕi]

Noun

石(いし)持(もち) or 石持(イシモチ) • (ishimochi) 

石持、白口 (Pennahia argentata), white croaker for sale in a market

1. 石持ち, 石首魚, 石頭魚: synonym of 白口 (shiroguchi, “silver croaker”)
2. synonym of カジカ (kajika, “sculpin; Japanese fluvial sculpin”)
3. a crosspiece supporting a stone roof

   Synonym: やあら (yāra)

4. short for 石持小紋 (ishimochi komon), a pattern used in stencil dying textiles that resembles a pile of small stones

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 イシモチ.

Proper noun

石(いし)持(もち) • (Ishimochi) 

1. a surname
2. an unknown-gender given name

References

• Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN