noun
hermit crab
Common word for the crustacean that lives in empty shells. Usually written in katakana.
海岸でヤドカリを見つけた。
I found a hermit crab on the beach.
ヤドカリは貝殻を背負って歩く。
Hermit crabs walk around carrying shells on their backs.
noun
renting a house
Only when written 宿借り
Rare, literary, or historical term for house rental. Modern Japanese normally uses 借家 or 賃貸.
江戸時代には宿借りという言葉が使われた。
In the Edo period, the word 宿借り was used for renting a house.
noun
Only when written 宿借り
Rare, literary, or historical term for a person who rents a house. Modern Japanese normally uses 借家人 or 賃借人.
古文書には宿借りとして名が記されている。
In old documents, the name is recorded as a tenant.
Rare kanji form for the hermit crab sense.
The word やどかり literally means 'borrowing a lodging' (宿借り), referring to the hermit crab's habit of using empty shells as temporary homes. The kanji 寄居虫 and 寄居蟹 are descriptive compounds for the creature. The exact historical derivation is uncertain.