虫（むし）
JLPT N5 · noun
Pitch accent: heiban (flat) — starts low, stays high, no drop
Meaning: insect / bug
Example sentences
- 夏は虫がとても多い。 — There are a lot of insects in summer.
- 小さな虫が花のまわりを飛んでいる。 — Small insects are flying around the flowers.
Idioms & proverbs containing “虫”
- 蓼食う虫も好き好き (たでくうむしもすきずき) — some prefer nettles; there's no accounting for taste; every man to his taste
- 一寸の虫にも五分の魂 (いっすんのむしにもごぶのたましい) — tread on a worm and it will turn; even a tiny bug will defend itself; even the weakest and smallest beings have their own wills, so do not make light of them
- 小の虫を殺して大の虫を生かす (しょうのむしをころしてだいのむしをいかす) — to sacrifice something small in order to save something great; to lose a leg to save one's life; to kill a small bug and save a large one
- 小の虫を殺して大の虫を助ける (しょうのむしをころしてだいのむしをたすける) — to sacrifice something small in order to save something great; to lose a leg to save one's life; to kill a small bug and help a large one
- 大の虫を生かして小の虫を殺す (だいのむしをいかしてしょうのむしをころす) — sacrifice something small in order to save something great; lose a leg to save one's life; to let a large bug live and kill a small one
- 大の虫を生かして小の虫を殺せ (だいのむしをいかしてしょうのむしをころせ) — sacrifice something small in order to save something great; lose a leg to save one's life; let a large bug live and kill a small one
Related words
See it used in real works
- Example sentences from Japanese novels & web fiction (Massif)
- Hear “虫” pronounced in real videos (YouGlish)