海老

Chinese

		ocean; sea	old; aged; venerable old; aged; venerable; outdated; experienced; (affectionate prefix)
trad. (海老)		海	老
simp. #(海老)		海	老
anagram		老海

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): hǎilǎo

  (Zhuyin): ㄏㄞˇ ㄌㄠˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): hoi² lou⁵

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: hǎilǎo [Phonetic: háilǎo]
    • Zhuyin: ㄏㄞˇ ㄌㄠˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: hǎilǎo
    • Wade–Giles: hai³-lao³
    • Yale: hǎi-lǎu
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: haelao
    • Palladius: хайлао (xajlao)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /xaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: hoi² lou⁵
    • Yale: hói lóuh
    • Cantonese Pinyin: hoi² lou⁵
    • Guangdong Romanization: hoi² lou⁵
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /hɔːi̯³⁵ lou̯¹³/

---

• Middle Chinese: xojX lawX

Rime
Character	海	老
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	曉 (32)	來 (37)
Final (韻)	咍 (41)	豪 (89)
Tone (調)	Rising (X)	Rising (X)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open
Division (等)	I	I
Fanqie	呼改切	盧晧切
Baxter	xojX	lawX
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/hʌiX/	/lɑuX/
Pan Wuyun	/həiX/	/lɑuX/
Shao Rongfen	/xɒiX/	/lɑuX/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/həjX/	/lawX/
Li Rong	/xᴀiX/	/lɑuX/
Wang Li	/xɒiX/	/lɑuX/
Bernhard Karlgren	/xɑ̆iX/	/lɑuX/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	hǎi	lǎo
Expected Cantonese Reflex	hoi2	lou5

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*m̥ˤəʔ  C.rˤuʔ/

  (Zhengzhang): /*hmlɯːʔ  ruːʔ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	海	老
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	hǎi	lǎo
Middle Chinese	‹ xojX ›	‹ lawX ›
Old Chinese	/*m̥ˁəʔ/ (dialect *m̥ˁ- > x-)	/*C.rˁuʔ/
English	sea	old
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	海	老
Reading #	1/1	1/1
No.	9283	7666
Phonetic component	母	老
Rime group	之	幽
Rime subdivision	0	1
Corresponding MC rime	海	老
Old Chinese	/*hmlɯːʔ/	/*ruːʔ/

Verb

海老

1. (literary, of a sea) to dry up (Should we delete⁽⁺⁾ this sense?)

Noun

海老

1. (obsolete) alcohol

Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
海	老
えび
Grade: 2	Grade: 4
jukujikun

Alternative spellings
海老 (kyūjitai) 蝦 鰕 魵

/jepi/ → /jebi/ → /ebi/

Possibly from Old Japanese, first attested in the Honzō Wamyō (918 CE).

Ultimate derivation unclear, with theories including:

• Shift in meaning from ebi, ancient reading of modern 葡萄 (budō, “grape”), from a resemblance in color
• Shift in reading from epige, proposed compound of 良い (ei, “good”) + 髭 (pige → hige, “beard”) from the bearded appearance
• Shift in reading from epige, proposed compound of 江 (e, “inlet, bay”) + 髭 (pige → hige, “beard”) from the bearded appearance

Appears as Yebi in the Nippo Jisho of 1603.

The kanji spelling is jukujikun (熟字訓), in reference to the vague resemblance to a stooped old man. See the kairō reading below.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) えび [èbí] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [e̞bʲi]

Noun

海老(えび) or 海老(エビ) • (ebi) 

1. any long-tailed decapod crustacean or arthropod:
   1. a crayfish

      Hyponyms: 蝲蛄 (zarigani), 蝉海老 (semiebi)

   2. a lobster

      Synonyms: ロブスター (robusutā), オマール (omāru)

      Hyponym: 海蝲蛄 (umi zarigani)

   3. a prawn

      Synonym: プローン (purōn)

      Hyponyms: 車海老 (kuruma-ebi), 大正海老 (Taishō ebi)

   4. a shrimp

      Synonym: シュリンプ (shurinpu)

2. Short for 海老錠 (ebijō): a padlock
3. a type of 家紋 (kamon, “family crest”) with an ebi motif

Usage notes

This term is more generic than the English glosses. Where necessary, the meaning can be clarified by indicating type or size:

• 小(こ)海老(えび) (koebi): shrimp, literally “small ebi”
• 伊(い)勢(せ)海老(えび) (Ise ebi): spiny lobster (without big claws, unlike the North American lobster)

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 海老(えび)上(あが)り, 海老(えび)上(あ)がり (ebi agari)
• 海老(エビ)芋(イモ) (ebīmo)
• 海老尾(えびお) (ebio)
• 海老(えび)型(がた) (ebigata)
• 海老(えび)固(がた)め (ebi-gatame)
• 海老(えび)カツ (ebi katsu)
• 海老(エビ)蟹(ガニ) (ebigani)
• 海老(えび)虹梁(こうりょう) (ebi kōryō)
• 海老(エビ)蟋蟀(コオロギ) (ebi kōrogi)
• 海老(えび)腰(ごし) (ebigoshi)
• 海老(えび)鞘巻(さやまき) (ebi sayamaki)
• 海老(エビ)雑魚(ジャコ) (ebijako)
• 海老(えび)錠(じょう) (ebijō)
• 海老責(えびぜ)め (ebizeme)
• 海老(えび)煎餅(せんべい) (ebi senbei)
• 海老(えび)素麺(そうめん) (ebi sōmen)
• 海老(えび)反(ぞ)り (ebizori)
• 海老(えび)茶(ちゃ) (ebicha)
• 海老(えび)チリ (ebi chiri)
• 海老(えび)束(づか) (ebizuka)
• 海老名(えびな) (Ebina)
• 海老根(エビネ) (ebine)
• 海老手(えびで)の人参(にんじん) (ebi-de no ninjin)
• 海老(えび)の尻尾(しっぽ) (ebi no shippo)
• 海老(えび)原(はら) (Ebihara)
• 海老(えび)フライ (ebi furai)
• 海老藻(エビモ) (ebimo)
• 海老(えび)マヨ (ebi mayo)
• 赤(アカ)海老(エビ) (akaebi)
• 甘(アマ)海老(エビ) (amaebi)
• 伊勢(イセ)海老(エビ) (Ise ebi)
• 牛(うし)海老(えび) (ushiebi)
• 団扇(ウチワ)海老(エビ) (uchiwa ebi)
• 乙姫(オトヒメ)海老(エビ) (otohime ebi)
• オマール海老(えび) (omāru ebi)
• 飾(かざ)り海老(えび) (kazari ebi)
• 兜(カブト)海老(エビ) (kabuto ebi)
• 鎌倉(かまくら)海老(えび) (Kamakura ebi)
• 川(かわ)海老(えび) (kawa ebi)
• 熊(クマ)海老(エビ) (kumaebi)
• 車(クルマ)海老(エビ) (kuruma-ebi)
• 高麗(コウライ)海老(エビ) (Kōrai ebi)
• 小(こ)海老(えび) (koebi)
• 五(ゴ)色(シキ)海老(エビ) (goshiki ebi)
• 小衝(こづ)き海老(えび) (kozuki ebi)
• 桜(サクラ)海老(エビ) (sakura ebi)
• 猿(サル)海老(エビ) (saruebi)
• 芝(シバ)海老(エビ) (shibaebi)
• 猩猩(ショウジョウ)海老(エビ) (shōjō ebi)
• 条(スジ)海老(エビ) (sujiebi)
• 蝉(セミ)海老(エビ) (semiebi)
• 草(ゾウ)履(リ)海老(エビ) (zōri ebi)
• 大(タイ)正(ショウ)海老(エビ) (Taishō ebi)
• 杖突(ツエツキ)海老(エビ) (tsuetsuki ebi)
• 手(テ)長(ナガ)海老(エビ) (tenaga ebi)
• 鉄砲(テッポウ)海老(エビ) (teppō ebi)
• 同穴(ドウケツ)海老(エビ) (dōketsu ebi)
• 富(ト)山(ヤマ)海老(エビ) (Toyama ebi)
• 虎(トラ)海老(エビ) (toraebi)
• 錦(ニシキ)海老(エビ) (nishiki ebi)
• 糠(ヌカ)海老(エビ) (nukaebi)
• 沼(ヌマ)海老(エビ) (numaebi)
• 箱(ハコ)海老(エビ) (hakoebi)
• バナメイ海老(エビ) (banamei ebi)
• 豊年(ホウネン)海老(エビ) (hōnen ebi)
• 牡(ボ)丹(タン)海老(エビ) (botan ebi)
• 北海(ホッカイ)海老(エビ) (hokkai ebi)
• 干(ほ)し海老(えび), 乾(ほ)し海老(えび) (hoshi ebi)
• 剥(む)き海老(えび) (muki ebi)
• 藻海老(モエビ) (moebi)
• 茹(ゆ)で海老(えび) (yudeebi)
• 葦(ヨシ)海老(エビ) (yoshiebi)
• 横(ヨコ)海老(エビ) (yokoebi)

Idioms

• 海老(えび)で鯛(たい)を釣(つ)る (ebi de tai o tsuru), 海老(えび)鯛(たい) (ebitai), “throw a sprat to catch a mackerel”
• 海老(えび)の鯛(たい)交(ま)じり (ebi no tai majiri), something insignificant among great things

Proverbs

• 鱧(はも)も一(いち)期(ご)、海老(えび)も一(いち)期(ご) (hamo mo ichigo, ebi mo ichigo)

Proper noun

海老(えび) • (Ebi) 

1. a place name
2. a surname

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
海	老
かい Grade: 2	ろう Grade: 4
on'yomi

Alternative spelling
海老 (kyūjitai)

*/kairau/ → /kairɔː/ → /kairoː/

Probably a coinage in Japan of Middle Chinese-derived elements, as 海 (kai, “sea, ocean”) + 老 (rō, “elder, old person”), in reference to the vague resemblance to a stooped old man.

Appears as Cairǒ in the Nippo Jisho of 1603.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) かいろー [kàíróó] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [ka̠iɾo̞ː]

Noun

海(かい)老(ろう) • (kairō) ^{←かいらう (kairau)?}

1. any long-tailed decapod crustacean or arthropod:
   1. a crayfish
   2. a lobster
   3. a prawn
   4. a shrimp

Usage notes

This reading is less common than ebi above.

Derived terms

• 海老(かいろう)尾(び) (kairōbi)

Proper noun

海(かい)老(ろう) • (Kairō) ^{←かいらう (Kairau)?}

1. a place name