蛇皮

蛇皮

Japanese

Kanji in this term
蛇	皮
じゃ Grade: S	び Grade: 3
goon

Kanji in this term
蛇	皮
じゃ Grade: S	ひ Grade: 3
goon	kan’on

Etymology

From Middle Chinese-derived elements 蛇 (ja, “snake”) +‎ 皮 (bi, “skin”).

The bi can also be read with the 漢音 (kan'on, literally “Han-sound”) reading of hi.[1][2][3]

Pronunciation

• On’yomi: Goon
  • (Tokyo) じゃ​び [jáꜜbì] (Atamadaka – [1])[3]
  • IPA^(key): [d͡ʑa̠bʲi]

Noun

蛇皮 (hiragana じゃび, rōmaji jabi, alternative reading じゃひ, rōmaji jahi)

1. snakeskin [early 1500s]
2. (dermatology) peeling skin syndrome, as if moulted like snakeskin [mid-1680s]
3. (music)Short for 蛇皮線 (jabisen): a 三線 (sanshin, “Okinawan fretless lute”) usually made from snakeskin

Derived terms

• 蛇皮線 (じゃびせん) (jabisen)

References

1. 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
2. 1995, 大辞泉 (Daijisen) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
3. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN