蝸牛

		land snail	ox; cow; bull
trad. (蝸牛)		蝸	牛
simp. (蜗牛)		蜗	牛

蝸牛

1. land snail

Kanji in this term
蝸	牛
か Hyōgai	ぎゅう Grade: 2
on'yomi

From Middle Chinese compound 蝸牛／蜗牛 (kwæ ngjuw, literally “snail + cow”).

• (Tokyo) かぎゅう [kàgyúú] (Heiban – [0])^[1]
• IPA^(key): [ka̠ɡʲɨː]

蝸(か)牛(ぎゅう) • (kagyū) ^{←くわぎう (kwagiu)?}

1. a snail
2. (anatomy) cochlea

• 蝸(か)牛(ぎゅう)角(かく)上(じょう)の争(あらそ)い (kagyūkakujō no arasoi)
• 蝸(か)牛(ぎゅう)管(かん) (kagyūkan)

Kanji in this term
蝸	牛
Hyōgai	Grade: 2
irregular

Alteration of katatsuburi, in turn a compound of 堅 (kata, stem of adjective 固い (katai, “hard”)) + つぶり (tsuburi, “small round thing”, cognate with 頭 (tsuburi, “head”), 粒 (tsubu, “grain or kernel of rice”)).^[2][1]

The kanji spelling is jukujikun (熟字訓).

• (Tokyo) かたつむり [kàtátsúꜜmùrì] (Nakadaka – [3])^[1][3]
• IPA^(key): [ka̠ta̠t͡sɨmɯ̟ɾʲi]

蝸牛(かたつむり) or 蝸牛(カタツムリ) • (katatsumuri) 

1. a snail
   • 1999 March 18, “デビルツムリ [Devilsnail]”, in Starter Box(スターターボックス), Konami:

     闇(やみ)の力(ちから)で進(しん)化(か)したカタツムリ。手(て)や足(あし)があり、速(はや)く動(うご)ける。

     Yami no chikara de shinka shita katatsumuri. Te ya ashi ga ari, hayaku ugokeru.

     A snail that evolved with the help of dark power. It can move quickly now that it has limbs.

   • 2000 April 20, “メカニカルスネイル [Mechanical Snail]”, in Magic Ruler －魔法の支配者－, Konami:

     機(き)械(かい)に改(かい)造(ぞう)されたカタツムリ。しかし、スピードはあまり変(か)わらない。

     Kikai ni kaizō sareta katatsumuri. Shikashi, supīdo wa amari kawaranai.

     A snail that was mechanically enhanced, which didn’t make it any quicker.

As with many terms that name organisms, this term is often spelled in katakana, especially in biological contexts (where katakana is customary), as カタツムリ.

• (snail): 舞(まい)舞(まい) (maimai), 舞(まい)舞(まい)螺(つぶり) (maimaitsuburi)

• 食(しょく)用(よう)蝸(かた)牛(つむり) (shokuyōkatatsumuri)

Kanji in this term
蝸	牛
Hyōgai	Grade: 2
irregular

Alteration of ででむし (dedemushi, “snail”), itself a compound of でで (dede, from 出 (de, “come out”), from an old children's nursery rhyme calling for a snail to put out its eyestalks) + 虫 (mushi, “bug”).^[2][1]

• (Tokyo) でんでんむし [dèńdéꜜǹmùshì] (Nakadaka – [3])^[1][3]
• IPA^(key): [dẽ̞ndẽ̞mːɯ̟ɕi]

蝸牛(でんでんむし) • (dendenmushi) 

1. a snail

Hanja in this term
蝸	牛

蝸牛 • (wau) (hangeul 와우)

1. hanja form^? of 와우 (“snail”)