noun
A felled tree trunk stripped of branches, used for lumber, construction, or as a raw material.
川に丸太を浮かべて運んだ。
They floated logs down the river to transport them.
丸太を切って薪にする。
I cut logs into firewood.
noun
dace (Tribolodon hakonensis)
A freshwater fish native to Japan. Usually written in kana. The katakana spelling マルタ is also common.
この川ではマルタがよく釣れる。
Dace are often caught in this river.
noun
Historical and sensitive term referring to victims of human experimentation by the Japanese army's Unit 731 during WWII. Usually written in kana.
See also: 七三一部隊
七三一部隊では、捕虜が「まるた」と呼ばれ、非人道的な実験の対象とされた。
In Unit 731, prisoners were called 'maruta' and subjected to inhumane experiments.
noun
prostitute disguised as a nun
Archaic derogatory term for a prostitute who dressed as a Buddhist nun to solicit clients. No longer in modern use.
江戸時代の文献に「丸太」という隠語で尼僧姿の遊女を指した例がある。
In Edo-period documents, there are examples where the slang term 'maruta' referred to a prostitute dressed as a nun.
Compound of 丸 (まる, 'round') and 太 (た, 'thick'). The fish name is likely from the log-like shape. The historical and archaic senses are unrelated semantic extensions.