鯨 means “whale”

くじら · kujira

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

くじら

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

ゲイ

Taught in secondary school · 19 strokes

The story

For island-nation Japan, whales were both awe-inspiring sea gods and vital resources. Coastal towns still hold whale festivals honoring the massive creatures that sustained communities for centuries.

Used in 鯨飲 (geiin, drinking like a whale; heavy drinking)

More from Animals & Creatures

• 狐 fox
• 蛙 frog
• 犬 dog
• 猫 cat
• 牛 cow
• 馬 horse
• 虫 insect
• 羊 sheep
• 豚 pig
• 鹿 deer
• 熊 bear
• 蛇 snake

Learn 鯨 and more kanji free on Fuji Learning · All kanji

Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.