鯨

Glyph origin
.

Etymology
Cognate with.

Definitions

 * 1) whale
 * 2)  great; huge

Compounds

 * : whale bone
 * : whale meat
 * : whale oil
 * : white whale
 * : whaling

Etymology 1
→

From. Appears in the  of 712 CE with the spelling. Hypothesized as ultimately from reconstructed.

Ultimate derivation unclear. Theories include an alteration from (kuchibiro) in reference to the wide mouth; an alteration from  (kuchibiraku) in reference to the gaping mouth; and an alteration from  (kuroshiro) in reference to the black-and-white coloration of certain cetaceans.

However, the oldest sources clearly spell the term as kudira.
 * This rules out as an etymon, as the oldest compounds using this term use the bound form kutu, not kuti, and there is no support for a kutu → kudi shift.
 * This also rules out as an etymon.  Although rendaku (voicing in compounds) would give modern jira as a reading for, the ancient reading of sira would voice to something closer to zira, and there is no support for a zira → dira shift.

Also compare 🇨🇬 "whale."

Noun

 * 1) a whale

Etymology 2
From. Root isa (“powerful?”) appears to be the same element in verb.

Noun

 * 1)  a whale

Derived terms

 * , : whale

Etymology 3
From. Found in the  completed some time after 759 CE, often with the spelling.

From cognate isa above, suffixed with. Sometimes spelled as.

Noun

 * 1)  a whale
 * 2) * ; text here
 * 玉桙之 道尓出立 葦引乃 野行山行 潦 川徃渉 鯨名取 海路丹出而...
 * 玉桙の 道に出で立ち あしひきの 野行き山行き にはたづみ 川行き渡り 鯨魚取り 海道に出でて... たまほこの みちにいでたち あしひきの のゆきやまゆき にはたづみ かはゆきわたり いさなとり うみぢにいでて...
 * Tamahoko no / michi ni idetachi / ashi hiki no / no yuki yama yuki / niwatazumi / kawa yuki watari / isana tori umiji ni idete...
 * Heading out on the jeweled-spear road, going through the alluring fields and mountains, crossing the puddles and rivers, taking to the whaling sea road ...

Derived terms

 * , : whaling; an epithet for the sea

Etymology
From.

Noun

 * 1) whale

Noun

 * 1) whale

Noun

 * 1) whale