# 海馬
## Chinese
### Etymology
#### sea horse

    So named as its shape is similar to horse's head. First used in the Tang dynasty-era 《本草拾遺》 (Supplements to the Compendium of Materia Medica).

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): hǎimǎ
    (Zhuyin): ㄏㄞˇ ㄇㄚˇ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): hoi$^2$ maa$^5$
* Eastern Min (BUC): hāi-mā
* Southern Min
    (Hokkien, POJ): hái-bé / hái-bée
    (Teochew, Peng'im): hai$^2$ bhê$^2$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: hǎimǎ [Phonetic: háimǎ]
*** Zhuyin: ㄏㄞˇ ㄇㄚˇ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: hǎimǎ
*** Wade–Giles: hai$^3$-ma$^3$
*** Yale: hǎi-mǎ
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: haemaa
*** Palladius: хайма (xajma)
*** Sinological IPA : /xaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ mä²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: hoi$^2$ maa$^5$
*** Yale: hói máh
*** Cantonese Pinyin: hoi$^2$ maa$^5$
*** Guangdong Romanization: hoi$^2$ ma$^5$
*** Sinological IPA : /hɔːi̯³⁵ maː¹³/
* Eastern Min
** (Fuzhou)
*** Bàng-uâ-cê: hāi-mā
*** Sinological IPA : /hai³³⁻³⁵ ma³³/
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien: General Taiwanese, Singapore)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hái-bé
*** Tâi-lô: hái-bé
*** Phofsit Daibuun: hay'bea
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /hai⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ be⁴¹/
*** IPA (Singapore): /hai⁴²⁻²⁴ be⁴²/
*** IPA (Taipei): /hai⁵³⁻⁴⁴ be⁵³/
** (Hokkien: Penang)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hái-bée
*** Tâi-lô: hái-bée
*** IPA (Penang): /hai⁴⁴⁵⁻³³ bɛ⁴⁴⁵/
** (Teochew)
*** Peng'im: hai$^2$ bhê$^2$
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: hái bé
*** Sinological IPA : /hai⁵²⁻³⁵ be⁵²⁻²¹/
* Middle Chinese: xojX maeX
Rime :
| Character | 海 | 馬 |
| Reading # | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| Initial (聲) | 曉 (32) | 明 (4) |
| Final (韻) | 咍 (41) | 麻 (98) |
| Tone (調) | Rising (X) | Rising (X) |
| Openness (開合) | Open | Open |
| Division (等) | I | II |
| Fanqie | 呼改切 | 莫下切 |
| Baxter | xojX | maeX |
| Reconstructions |||
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /hʌi$^X$/ | /mˠa$^X$/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /həi$^X$/ | /mᵚa$^X$/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /xɒi$^X$/ | /ma$^X$/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /həj$^X$/ | /maɨ$^X$/ |
| Li Rong | /xᴀi$^X$/ | /ma$^X$/ |
| Wang Li | /xɒi$^X$/ | /ma$^X$/ |
| Bernhard Karlgren | /xɑ̆i$^X$/ | /ma$^X$/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | hǎi | mǎ |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | hoi$^2$ | maa$^5$ |

### Noun

海馬
* sea horse (Classifier: 隻／只 m c; 尾 mn)
* (obsolete) walrus
* (obsolete) frog
* Short for 海馬體／海马体 (hǎimǎtǐ, “hippocampus”).

#### Synonyms

* (sea horse):
| Variety | Location | Words |
| Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | 海馬 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Taiwan | 海馬 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Singapore | 海馬 |
| Cantonese | Hong Kong | 海馬 |
| Southern Min | Penang (Hokkien) | 海馬 |
| Southern Min | Singapore (Hokkien) | 海馬 |
| Southern Min | Nan'ao (Houzhai) | 海馬 |
| Wu | Wenzhou | 海龍兒 |

#### Derived terms

* 海馬回 / 海马回 (hǎimǎhuí)
* 海馬體 / 海马体 (hǎimǎtǐ)

#### Descendants

* → Japanese: 海(か​い)馬(ば) (ka​iba)
* → Korean: 해마(海馬) (haema)
* → Vietnamese: hải mã (海馬)

## Japanese
### Etymology 1

Kanji in this term :
| 海 | 馬 |
| うみ Grade: 2 | うま Grade: 2 |
| kun'yomi ||
* Alternative spelling
* 海馬 (kyūjitai)
Compound of 海(うみ) (umi, “ocean, sea”) + 馬(うま) (uma, “horse”).

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) うみうま [ùmíúmá] (Heiban – [0])
* (Tokyo) うみうま [ùmíꜜùmà] (Nakadaka –)
* IPA: [ɯ̟mʲiɯ̟ma̠]

#### Noun

海(うみ)馬(うま) or 海馬(ウミウマ) • (umiuma)
* Synonym of 竜の落とし子 (tatsu no otoshigo, “sea horse”) (fish)

##### 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 ウミウマ.

##### Derived terms

* 大(オオ)海(ウミ)馬(ウマ) (ōumiuma)
* 黒(クロ)海(ウミ)馬(ウマ) (kurōmiuma)

### Etymology 2

Kanji in this term :
| 海 | 馬 |
| かい Grade: 2 | ば Grade: 2 |
| on'yomi ||
* Alternative spelling
* 海馬 (kyūjitai)
From Middle Chinese 海馬 (xoj$^X$ mæ$^X$, literally “sea + horse”). Compare Mandarin 海馬 / 海马 (hǎimǎ), Cantonese 海馬 / 海马 (hoi2 maa5), Min Nan 海馬 / 海马 (hái-bé).

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) かいば [káꜜìbà] (Atamadaka – [1])
* IPA: [ka̠iba̠]

#### Noun

海(かい)馬(ば) or 海馬(カイバ) • (kaiba)
* (rare) Synonym of 竜の落とし子 (tatsu no otoshigo, “sea horse”) (fish)
* (rare) Synonym of 海象 (seiuchi, “walrus”)
* (anatomy) the hippocampus (a part of the brain)
    Synonym: 海馬体 (kaibatai)

##### 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 カイバ.

### Etymology 3

Kanji in this term :
| 海 | 馬 |
| とど ||
| Grade: 2 | Grade: 2 |
| irregular ||
* Alternative spellings
* 海馬 (kyūjitai) 胡獱
From Ainu トド (todo), トト (toto, “sea lion”). The kanji is jukujikun (熟字訓).

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) とど [tóꜜdò] (Atamadaka – [1])
* IPA: [to̞do̞]

#### Noun

海馬(とど) or 海馬(トド) • (todo)
* a Steller sea lion

##### 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 トド. The kanji spellings are rare. When written in kanji, the 胡獱 spelling may be more common, likely to avoid confusion with the alternate readings of the 海馬 spelling of umiuma and kaiba.

### References

* 1 2 Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
* 1 2 3 4 5 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

## Korean

Hanja in this term :
| 海 | 馬 |

### Noun

海馬 • (haema) (hangeul 해마)
* hanja form of 해마 (“seahorse; walrus”)

## Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term :
| 海 | 馬 |

### Noun

海馬
* chữ Hán form of hải mã (“seahorse; walrus”).