About
The character 鼬 is a phono-semantic compound. The left component, the mouse radical 鼠, indicates its semantic category as a small, scurrying mammal. The right component, 由, serves as the phonetic element, providing the pronunciation. Historically and in modern use, 鼬 specifically denotes members of the weasel family, small, slender, carnivorous mammals. This meaning has remained consistent, appearing in compounds for species like the Siberian weasel. It functions solely as a biological noun, without extended metaphorical senses, in both scientific and everyday language.
Etymology Hide
