毒蛇
doku-hebi[do̞kɯ̟ʑa̠]
In Japanese, 'viper' is expressed as 毒蛇 (doku-hebi). Wiktionary also lists 鎖蛇 (kusari-hebi).
Meaning: a poisonous snake in the family Viperidae (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 毒蛇 | doku-hebi | [do̞kɯ̟ʑa̠] (narrow) [do̞kɯ̟̊he̞bʲi] (narrow) |
| 鎖蛇 | kusari-hebi |
The term is used to describe a poisonous snake within the Viperidae family.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 毒蛇 is a compound consisting of 毒 (doku), meaning poison and 蛇 (hebi), meaning snake.
Which one should you use?
鎖蛇 (kusari-hebi) is another way to refer to a viper.
How do you pronounce it?
doku-hebi
Did you know?
- The character 蛇 for 'snake' is a pictograph that originally depicted a winding serpent, but in modern Japanese, it is often used in the word 蛇行 (dakō) to describe a zig-zagging car or river.
- The character 毒 in 毒蛇 is also the root of the word 毒舌 (dokusetsu), which literally means 'poison tongue' and describes someone who makes biting or sarcastic remarks.
- In Japanese folklore, the distinction between a venomous snake 毒蛇 and a dragon tatsu is sometimes blurred, with vipers occasionally viewed as earthly versions of celestial dragons.
Examples in context
- 私はまむしの生態に興味があります。I am interested in the ecology of vipers.
- この毒蛇は非常に危険だ。Kono dokuda wa hijō ni kiken da.This poisonous snake is very dangerous.
Example conversation
Kenta and Yui are hiking in the forest.
- 健太 Kentaあ！あそこに毒蛇がいるよ！A! Asoko ni dokuhebi ga iru yo!Ah! There's a viper over there!
- 結衣 Yuiえっ、本当に？危ないから離れよう。E, hontou ni? Abunai kara hanareyou.What, really? Let's move away because it's dangerous.
- 健太 Kentaうん、ゆっくり後ろに下がろう。Un, yukkuri ushiro ni sagarou.Yeah, let's slowly step back.
- 結衣 Yui分かった。気をつけて歩こうね。Wakatta. Ki wo tsukete arukou ne.Got it. Let's walk carefully.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “viper” translations and entries 毒蛇, 鎖蛇, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
