蟷螂

Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
蟷	螂
かまきり
Hyōgaiji	Hyōgaiji
jukujikun

Alternative spellings
螳螂 (mantis) 鎌切 (mantis) 鎌切 (zoology) 杜父魚 (zoology)

Either a compound of 鎌 (kama, “sickle”) +‎ 切り (kiri, “cutting; cutter”, the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “continuative or stem form”) of verb 切る (kiru, “to cut”)), or of 鎌 (kama, “sickle”) +‎ キリ (kiri, onomatopoeia), where the kiri is imitative of the sound made by grasshoppers and katydids, and is found as a common element in the names of several insects of similar size and body shape. Compare 螽斯 (kirigirisu, “grasshopper; katydid”), 笹切 (sasakiri, “bush cricket; katydid”).

Considering the sharp forelegs of the mantis, the first derivation may be more probable.

The kanji are jukujikun (熟字訓), from Chinese 蟷螂.

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) かまきり [káꜜmàkìrì] (Atamadaka – [1])[1][2][3]
IPA^(key): [ka̠ma̠kʲiɾʲi]

Noun

蟷螂(かまきり) • (kamakiri)

a mantis (any of various large insects of the order Mantodea)
(by extension, from the slender build of the insect) a skinny person or horse
(rare) a fourspine sculpin, a fish of species Cottus kazika
Synonym: 鮎掛 (ayukake)

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 カマキリ.

For the fourspine sculpin sense, the more common kanji spellings are 鎌切 and 杜父魚.[1][4]

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
蟷	螂
とう Hyōgaiji	ろう Hyōgaiji
goon

Alternative spelling
螳螂

From Middle Chinese 螳螂 (MC dɑŋ lɨɐŋ|lɑŋ).

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) とーろー [tòóróó] (Heiban – [0])[1][2][3]
IPA^(key): [to̞ːɾo̞ː]

Noun

蟷(とう)螂(ろう) • (tōrō) ^{←たうらう (taurau)^?}

a mantis

Derived terms

蟷(とう)螂(ろう)が（斧(おの)をもって / 斧(おの)を取(と)りて）隆(りゅう)車(しゃ)に向(む)かう (tōrō ga (ono o motte / ono o torite) ryūsha ni mukau): “the mantis (takes [up] its hatchets and) faces off against a grand chariot” → a metaphor for a futile endeavor; compare English piss in the wind, quixotic
蟷(とう)螂(ろう)の斧(おの) (tōrō no ono): “the mantis's hatchets” → a metaphor for a futile endeavor; compare English piss in the wind, kick against the pricks, quixotic

References

2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, →ISBN
1997, 新明解国語辞典 (Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten), Fifth Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan

[DJR-1] 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[NHK-2] 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, →ISBN

[SMK5-3] 1997, 新明解国語辞典 (Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten), Fifth Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[KDJ-4] 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan