鰐

See also: 鳄

鰐 U+9C10, 鰐 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-9C10 ← 鰏 [U+9C0F] CJK Unified Ideographs 鰑 → [U+9C11]

Translingual

Han character

鰐 (Kangxi radical 195, 魚+9, 20 strokes, cangjie input 弓火口口尸 (NFRRS), composition ⿰魚咢)

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 1475, character 1
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 46337
• Dae Jaweon: page 2006, character 28
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 7, page 4701, character 18
• Unihan data for U+9C10

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Chinese

For pronunciation and definitions of 鰐 – see 鱷 (“crocodilian; crocodile; alligator”). (This character is a variant traditional form of 鱷).

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Japanese

FWOTD – 25 June 2021

Shinjitai	鰐
Kyūjitai	鱷

Kanji

鰐

(Hyōgai kanji, shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai form 鱷)

1. alligator, crocodile
2. a shark or other large dangerous fish

Readings

• Go-on: がく (gaku)
• Kan-on: がく (gaku)
• Kun: わに (wani, 鰐)

Compounds

Compounds

• 鰐(がく)魚(ぎょ) (gakugyo): crocodilian; large, dangerous fish
• 鰐(がく)淵(えん)寺(じ) (gakuenji): a Tiantai Buddhist temple in Shimane Prefecture

Etymology

鰐 (wani): a crocodile.

Kanji in this term
鰐
わに Hyōgai
kun'yomi

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old Japanese. Derivation uncertain. Appears in the Kojiki in ambiguous reference to a kind of sea creature (possibly sharks or crocodiles). The sense of crocodile clearly appears in the Wamyō Ruijushō dictionary (938) with an explanation of “having four legs like a turtle and a three-foot mouth with sharp teeth.”

Various theories exist regarding the term's origin, such as an alteration of 鬼 (oni, “demon, devil”), or an abbreviation of 海主 (watanushi, “sea master, sea god”), or a corruption of ancient Chinese of 鰐魚 (ngakngia, “crocodiles”).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) わに [wáꜜnì] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [β̞a̠ɲ̟i]

Noun

鰐(わに) • (wani) 

1. ワニ: crocodilian (crocodile, alligator, gavial)
   • 1999 October 17, “クロコダイラス [Crocodilus]”, in Booster 5, Konami:

     知(ち)恵(え)を持(も)ちさらに狂(きょう)暴(ぼう)化(か)したワニ。かたいうろこで攻(こう)撃(げき)をはじく。

     Chie o mochi sara ni kyōbōka shita wani. Katai uroko de kōgeki o hajiku.

     A frenzied crocodilian who’s actually quite intelligent. He repels attacks with his hard scales.

2. (obsolete) a shark or other large and dangerous fish
   • 898–901, Shinsen Jikyō, volume 9, page 2:

     鰐 五各反 和尓

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 ワニ.

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 鰐(わに)の口(くち) (wani no kuchi): "the alligator's mouth" → an extremely dangerous place or situation
• 鰐(わに)口(ぐち) (waniguchi): a crocodile's or alligator's mouth; a terrible rumor; someone with a physically large mouth; a wide bronze bell rung with a rope and hung at shrines; part of a Japanese saddle; (slang) the female genitalia; (slang) a coin purse
• 鰐(わに)口(ぐち)草(そう) (waniguchisō): a perennial plant in the lily family, possibly related to Polygonatum
• 鰐(わに)鮫(ざめ) (wanizame): an alligator or crocodile; a shark or other large dangerous fish
• 鰐(わに)千(ち)鳥(どり) (wanichidori): the crocodile bird or Egyptian plover, Pluvianus aegyptius
• 鰐(わに)足(あし) (waniashi): knock knees, bowlegs
• 鰐(わに)皮(がわ) (wanigawa): crocodile or alligator skin or hide
• 鰐(わに)鱶(ぶか) (wanibuka): an alligator or crocodile; a shark or other large dangerous fish
• 白(しろ)鰐(わに) (shirowani): a sand tiger shark,
• 大(おお)鰐(わに)鮫(ざめ) (ōwanizame): a smalltooth sand tiger,
• 水(みず)鰐(わに) (mizuwani): a crocodile shark,

Idioms

Idioms

• 鰐(わに)の口(くち)を逃(のが)れる (wani no kuchi o nogareru): "to escape the alligator's mouth" → to escape an extremely dangerous place or situation

References

• Shōjū with Kyōto Daigaku Bungakubu Kokugogaku Kokubungaku Kenkyūshitu (898–901) Shinsen Jikyō (Zōteiban) (in Japanese), Kyōto: Rinsen, published 15 December 1967, →ISBN.

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Korean

Hanja

鰐 • (ak) (hangeul 악, revised ak, McCune–Reischauer ak, Yale ak)

1. (악어) crocodile, alligator

Synonyms

• 鱷 (악, ag)

Compounds

• 鰐魚 (악어, ag-eo) crocodile, alligator

See also

• 鯢 (예, ye) salamander