Components

Point of interest: 刺す(さす)

POI
刺す(さす)  biting or stinging?
210 words
In English, we distinguish between insects that 'bite' and insects that 'sting'. Although some people may mix up the two, technically, a venomous (
どくどく
毒々
しい) insect (
むし
) such as a wasp, yellow jacket or bee uses a stinger to inject toxic venom, whereas a non-venomous insect such as a mosquito (
) or a flea (ノミ) bites and then injects saliva to prevent coagulation of the blood. It is interesting that in general a venomous sting might be more painful in the short term, but is typically less dangerous, because venom doesn't carry the diseases that mosquitoes or fleas can carry!
In Japanese, the distinction is not so clear cut - in some cases, insects
す - which literally means 'pierce', and hence is multi-purpose. You can translate it as 'bite' or 'sting' depending on what is doing the biting or stinging! In other cases, insects
む (bite). Here's a quick summary of which insects do which:
wasps, bees, mosquitoes
ants, mites, flies
す or
gnats (ブヨ)
Another interesting insect-related point is that in Japanese, both wasps and bees are translated as はち, despite being entirely different and unrelated species! However, in practice, there is a world of difference between a
みつばち
蜜蜂
(honeybee) and a スズメバチ (giant 'murder' hornet) ...

Kanji used in this point of interest

ドク    poison   
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(kanji repetition symbol)   
チュウ   むし insect   
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mosquito   
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シ   さ to stab   ささる to prick   
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to bite   かじる to chew; to dabble   
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ミツ    honey   
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ホウ   はち bee, wasp, hornet   
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