ネズミ

• Reading: ねずみ
• Romaji: nezumi
• Kanji breakdown: 鼠 (so/nezumi) — mouse, rat
• Pronunciation: /ne.zɯ.mi/

Meaning

A mouse or rat; small rodents of the family Muridae.

A noun referring to mice and rats. Often written in katakana (ネズミ) in modern usage, though the kanji 鼠 exists. Common expressions: ネズミ捕り (nezumitori, mousetrap), ネズミ色 (nezumiiro, grey colour — literally 'mouse colour'). Culturally, the rat is the first animal in the Chinese zodiac (子年, nezumidoshi). Also used in the compound ネズミ講 (nezumikou, pyramid scheme).

Examples

1. 台所にネズミが出たので驚いた。 I was startled when a mouse appeared in the kitchen.
2. 猫がネズミを追いかけている。 The cat is chasing a mouse.
3. ネズミ色のコートが今年は流行っている。 Mouse-gray coats are trending this year.

Usage Guide

Context: animals, household, colours

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

From Old Japanese. The kanji 鼠 is a pictograph depicting a rodent. The word ネズミ may derive from 根住み (nezumi, 'dwelling in roots'), describing where rats live.

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal