Translation

The Japanese word for "Bug" is mushi .

  • In English, the word "Bug" refers to any small insect, and even some small animals that aren't insects. A more technical definition, the term "True Bug," refers to animals of the order Hemiptera.[1][2]
  • Broad mushi
    In the past, it was thought that animals were divided into "furries," kemono , fishes, birds, and literally everything else was mushi . Hence why the term is so broad, even today. You can tell an animal was considered to be a mushi because its kanji will have the 虫 radical. For example, "Frogs," kaeru , and "Snakes", hebi , don't have fur, so they were considered to be mushi.[3]
Romaji mu shi
Hiragana
Katakana
Kanji
School Level 小1

Loan-word

The word "Bug" katakanized would be bagu バグ.
Romaji ba gu
Katakana
Hiragana

Trivia

  • The word mushi can be used to call someone an "Insect" in Japanese, in the insulting way.