大鹿

大鹿

1. any kind of large deer
2. moose; elk

大鹿 (ōjika): a moose.

From Old Japanese. Analyzable as a compound of 大 (ō, “big”) +‎ 鹿 (shika, “deer”).[1][2] The shika changes to jika as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

First attested in the Nihon Shoki of 720, with the literal sense of large deer.[1]

The moose or elk (Alces alces) is not native to Japan, and that sense is not attested until much later, in 1884.[1]

And, similar to the confusion in usage of English elk as to whether this refers to Alces alces or Cervus canadensis (also known as the wapiti), the Japanese term too might refer to either.

• (Tokyo) おおじか [òójíká] (Heiban – [0])[2]
• IPA^(key): [o̞ːʑika̠]

大(おお)鹿(じか) or 大鹿(オオジカ) • (ōjika) ^{←おほじか (ofozika)?}

1. [from 720] a large deer
2. [from 1884] a moose, an elk: Alces alces

   Synonyms: (more common term) 箆鹿 (herajika), ムース (mūsu), エルク (eruku)

3. [after 1884] a wapiti, an elk: Cervus canadensis

   Synonyms: アメリカ赤鹿 (Amerika akashika), ワピチ (wapichi), エルク (eruku)

As with many terms that name organisms, this term is often spelled in katakana, especially in biological contexts (where katakana is customary), as オオジカ. Not to be confused with 牡鹿 (ojika, “male deer: stag, buck”).

大(おお)鹿(じか) • (Ōjika) ^{←おほじか (ofozika)?}

1. a district in Itami, Hyōgo Prefecture

Compound of 大 (ō, “big”) +‎ 鹿 (shika, “deer”). Appears to be a variation from the ōjika reading.

• (Tokyo) おおしか [òóshíká] (Heiban – [0])[3]
• IPA^(key): [o̞ːɕi̥ka̠]

大(おお)鹿(しか) • (Ōshika) ^{←おほしか (ofosika)?}

1. A village in Nagano Prefecture
2. a surname
3. [from 1884] (uncommon) a moose, an elk: Alces alces

   Synonyms: (more common term) 箆鹿 (herajika), ムース (mūsu), エルク (eruku)

Probably coined in Japan from Middle Chinese-derived components, as a compound of 大 (dai, “great”) +‎ 鹿 (roku, “stag, male deer”).

• IPA^(key): [da̠iɾo̞kɯ̟ᵝ]

大(だい)鹿(ろく) • (dairoku) 

1. (shogi) the great stag, a piece in 大局将棋 (taikyoku shogi, a huge chess variant, played on a 36×36 grid)

• 山鹿 (sanroku, “mountain stag”), the starting piece, which promotes to the dairoku
• 奔鹿 (honroku, “free stag”), to which the dairoku promotes