Japanese Symbol for
馬uma
horse · speed · zodiac
Readings
Meaning
Horse. 馬 is one of the twelve zodiac animals (午 — uma). The horse represents freedom, speed, and perseverance in Japanese culture. Horse racing (競馬 — keiba) is enormously popular in Japan.
Example words
競馬
keiba
horse racing
馬力
bariki
horsepower
乗馬
jōba
horse riding
馬車
basha
horse-drawn carriage
木馬
mokuba
wooden horse, rocking horse
馬鹿
baka
idiot (horse-deer — a fool who mistakes horse for deer)
馬鹿 (baka — idiot/fool) is one of Japanese's most famous words and has a fascinating etymology: it comes from a Chinese story where a corrupt official presented a deer to the emperor claiming it was a horse (鹿を馬と言う — calling a deer a horse), and anyone who agreed was a fool. The compound 馬鹿 (horse-deer) became the word for a fool who can't tell the difference.
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