蟻

See also: 蚁

Translingual

Han character

蟻 (radical 142 虫+13, 19 strokes, cangjie input 中戈廿土戈 (LITGI), four-corner 5815₃, composition ⿰虫義)

1. ants

References

• KangXi: page 1099, character 3
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 33672
• Dae Jaweon: page 1563, character 8
• Hanyu Da Zidian: volume 4, page 2898, character 11
• Unihan data for U+87FB

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Cantonese

Hanzi

蟻 (simplified 蚁, Jyutping ngai5, Yale ngai5)

1. ant

Noun

蟻 (traditional, Jyutping ngai5, Yale ngai5, simplified 蚁)

1. ant

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Japanese

Kanji

蟻

(uncommon “Hyōgai” kanji)

1. ant

Readings

• Goon: ぎ (gi)
• Kan’on: ぎ (gi)
• Kun: あり (ari), ありのこ (arinoko) (rare)

Alternative forms

• 螘 (rare)

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term

蟻

ぎ Hyōgaiji

on'yomi

From Middle Chinese 蟻 (ngje^X). Compare modern Cantonese traditional 蟻 and simplified 蚁 (ngai⁵).

Pronunciation

• On'yomi
• IPA^(key): [ɡi]

Affix

蟻 (hiragana ぎ, romaji gi)

1. ant

Usage notes

This reading is only found in compounds. When the character is used on its own, it is always read as the kun'yomi of ari.

Derived terms

Derived terms

蟻群 (ぎぐん, ​gigun): a group of ants 蟻径 (ぎけい, ​gikei): a narrow road or path (from the way that ants tend to travel in single file) 蟻穴 (ぎけつ, ​giketsu): an anthill, a hole dug by ants; a very small fault or mistake 蟻蚕 (ぎさん, ​gisan): a silkworm that has just hatched from its egg (from the superficial similarity to an ant) 蟻酸 (ぎさん, ​gisan): formic acid 蟻酸塩 (ぎさんえん, ​gisan'en): formate 蟻集, 蟻聚 (ぎしゅう, ​gishū): a large grouping, as of many ants 蟻走感 (ぎそうかん, ​gisōkan): formication: a feeling as of many bugs crawling on one's skin 蟻付 (ぎふ, ​gifu): a large grouping or gathering of people, much as ants will gather around something sweet 蟻封 (ぎほう, ​gihō): an anthill 蟻量 (ぎりょう, ​giryō): “ant-weight”: the weight of a silkworm just after hatching from its egg (see 蟻蚕 (​gisan) above) 蟻垤 (ぎてつ, ​gitetsu): an anthill

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term

蟻

あり Hyōgaiji

kun'yomi

Unknown. From Old Japanese, but ultimate derivation remains a mystery. There are potentially interesting similarities to Korean 아리 (ari, “leg”) and 아래 (arae, “below, beneath”), but evidence is lacking.

Pronunciation

• Kun'yomi
• (Tokyo) あり [àrí] (Heiban - [0])
• IPA^(key): [a̠ɾi]

Noun

蟻 (hiragana あり, romaji ari)

1. ant

Idioms

Idioms

蟻の這い出る隙間もない (ありのはいでるすきまもない, ​ari no haideru sukima mo nai): “not even a crack wide enough for an ant to crawl through” → without a gap, close, tight 蟻の熊野参り (ありのくまのまいり, ​ari no Kumano-mairi), 蟻の伊勢参り (ありのいせまいり, ​ari no Ise-mairi), 蟻の百度参り (ありのひゃくどまいり, ​ari no hyakudo-mairi), 蟻の堂参り (ありのどうまいり, ​ari no dō-mairi), 蟻の物参り (ありのものまいり, ​ari no mono-mairi): “an ants' pilgrimage to Kumano / Ise / the hundred shrines and temples / the temples / the holy sites” → a metaphor likening ants in single file to a procession of pilgrims; alternately, a metaphor for a large group of people moving in single file 蟻の一穴 (ありのいっけつ, ​ari no ikketsu): “a single ant-hole” → a metaphor for the way a tiny thing can cause grave consequences; compare a stitch in time saves nine 蟻の穴から堤も崩れる (ありのあなからつつみもくずれる, ​ari no ana kara tsutsumi mo kuzureru), 蟻の穴より堤の崩れ (ありのあなよりつつみのくずれ, ​ari no ana yori tsutsumi no kuzure): “even a dike can fall apart due to an ant-hole” → a metaphor for the way a tiny thing can cause grave consequences; compare a stitch in time saves nine 蟻の甘きにつく如し (ありのあまきにつくごとし, ​ari no amaki ni tsuku gotoshi): “just like ants drawn to a sweet” → a metaphor for the way that people are drawn to profitable things; compare like a moth to a flame, of nearly opposite meaning 蟻の思いも天に届く (ありのおもいもてんにとどく, ​ari no omoi mo ten ni todoku), 蟻の思いも天に昇る (ありのおもいもてんにのぼる, ​ari no omoi mo ten ni noboru): “even an ant's thoughts can reach / rise to the heavens” → no matter how humble or lowly, if one tries hard enough, one's wishes can still be heard by the gods in heaven; compare where there's a will, there's a way 蟻の塔を組む如し (ありのとうをくむごとし, ​ari no tō o kumu gotoshi): “just like building an ant tower [anthill]” → even great deeds can be accomplished through patient work; compare a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step

Derived terms

Derived terms

蟻の塔 (ありのとう, ​ari no tō): an “ant tower” → an anthill 蟻の塔草 (ありのとうぐさ, ​ari no tō-gusa): a kind of seaberry, Haloragis micrantha 蟻の塔草科 (ありのとうぐさか, ​ari no tō-gusa ka): the seaberry family, Haloragaceae 蟻の子 (ありのこ, ​ari no ko): an ant, particularly one without wings; an ant egg or larva

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term

蟻

ありのこ Hyōgaiji

kun'yomi

Compound of 蟻 (ari, “ant”) +‎ の (no, possessive particle) +‎ 子 (ko, “child; small thing”).

Pronunciation

• Kun'yomi
• IPA^(key): [a̠ɾino̞ko̞]

Alternative forms

• 蟻の子

Noun

蟻 (hiragana ありのこ, romaji arinoko)

1. (obsolete) an ant, particularly one without wings
   • 794, Shin'yaku Kegonkyō Ongi Shiki (page 161)

     蚊蟻 上可 下音疑 訓安利乃古

2. (obsolete) an ant egg or larva

Usage notes

The spelling of 蟻 for ari no ko is generally only seen in old texts. In modern Japanese, this term is much more commonly spelled as 蟻の子.

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Kikai

Kanji

蟻 (hiragana あーにー, romaji aanii)

Etymology

Cognate with Old Japanese 蟻 (ari, “ant”).

Noun

蟻 (hiragana あーにー, romaji aanii)

1. ant

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Korean

Hanja

蟻 (ui) (hangeul 의, revised ui, McCune-Reischauer ŭi, Yale uy)

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Mandarin

Hanzi

蟻 (simplified 蚁, Pinyin jǐ (ji3), yǐ (yi3), Wade-Giles chi³, i³)

1. ant

Noun

蟻 (traditional, Pinyin jǐ (ji3), yǐ (yi3), simplified 蚁)

1. ant

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Northern Amami-Oshima

Kanji

蟻 (hiragana あみ, romaji ami)

Etymology

Cognate with Old Japanese 蟻 (ari, “ant”).

Noun

蟻 (hiragana あみ, romaji ami)

1. ant

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Oki-No-Erabu

Kanji

蟻 (hiragana あに, romaji ani)

Etymology

Cognate with Old Japanese 蟻 (ari, “ant”).

Noun

蟻 (hiragana あに, romaji ani)

1. ant

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Okinawan

Kanji

蟻 (hiragana あい, romaji ai)

Etymology

Cognate with Old Japanese 蟻 (ari, “ant”).

Noun

蟻 (hiragana あい, romaji ai)

1. ant

Compounds

• 蟻子 (あいこー, aikoo): ant

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Southern Amami-Oshima

Kanji

蟻 (hiragana あみ, romaji ami)

Etymology

Cognate with Old Japanese 蟻 (ari, “ant”).

Noun

蟻 (hiragana あみ, romaji ami)

1. ant

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Vietnamese

Han character

蟻 (nghĩ, nghị)

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Yonaguni

Kanji

蟻 (hiragana あや, romaji aya)

Etymology

Cognate with Old Japanese 蟻 (ari, “ant”).

Noun

蟻 (hiragana あや, romaji aya)

1. ant