蛙（かえる、kaeru）
- frog

The Japanese word 蛙 かえる refers to a "frog" or "toad." It is a general term for these amphibians, encompassing various species.

⚫︎池に蛙がたくさんいます。 Translation: There are many frogs in the pond. ⚫︎子供は蛙を捕まえようとしました。 Translation: The child tried to catch a frog. ⚫︎夏の夜に蛙が鳴いています。 Translation: Frogs are croaking on summer nights.

This word is used in everyday conversation to describe frogs or toads. It can be used in various contexts, from describing the animal itself to mentioning its presence in a specific environment.

⚫︎The word 蛙 is primarily written using the kanji 蛙. ⚫︎The reading is かえる in hiragana. ⚫︎There is no katakana version typically used. ⚫︎There are no significant variations in okurigana.

There aren't many direct synonyms for 蛙 in the sense of a different word for "frog" or "toad." However, other related terms might be used in more specific contexts: ⚫︎ カエル (kaeru) - a loan word from Portugese カエル, more often used for a specific species of frog. ⚫︎ヒキガエル (hikigaeru) - toad (used to distinguish it from frogs)

There are no direct antonyms for 蛙.

雨が降った後、庭で蛙が鳴き始めました。 ・Translation: After it rained, the frogs started croaking in the garden. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the behavior of frogs after rain, using the word 蛙 to identify the animal.

その蛙はとても大きかったので、子供たちは驚きました。 ・Translation: The frog was so big that the children were surprised. ・Explanation: This sentence highlights a characteristic of the frog (its size) and the reaction of the children, using 蛙 to describe the animal.

The etymology of 蛙 is not definitively known, but it is believed that the kanji 蛙 is a phonetic loan from an ancient Chinese word for "frog".