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Further derivation unclear. Possibly from Old and Classical Japanese adjective 愛し(woshi, modern reading oshi, “dear, loving”), from the way the ducks are believed to mate for life and seldom stray far from one another. This interpretation is traced back to readings applied to the Nihon Shoki and understandings of the 詩経(Shikyō, “Shījīng” or “Classic of Poetry”).[1]
The spelling is from Chinese, with 鴛 representing the male bird and 鴦 representing the female bird.
a kind of 家紋(kamon, “family crest”) featuring a mandarin duck
Usage notes
As with many terms that name organisms, this term is often spelled in katakana, especially in biological contexts (where katakana is customary), as オシ.
a topknot or bunhairstyle wherein the hair is bunched on each side in a shape vaguely resembling two mandarin ducks
Usage notes
As with many terms that name organisms, this term is often spelled in katakana, especially in biological contexts (where katakana is customary), as オシドリ.
From Middle Chinese鴛鴦 (MC 'jwon|'won 'jang|'ang, literally “male mandarin duck + female mandarin duck”). First cited in Japanese to a text from 835.[1]