Phrase guide

tortoise shell bracket

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

Either of a pair of symbols,〔 〕, sometimes used in Japanese to enclose comments in quoted text.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: media, publishing, typography

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Calque from Japanese 亀(きっ)甲(こう)括(かっ)弧(こ) (kikkōkakko, literally “tortoise shell bracket”), due to their resemblance to the shell of a tortoise. By surface analysis, tortoise shell + bracket.

Across languages

Translations

2 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Japanese: 亀甲括弧 (kikkōkakko) — Translations
  • Polish: nawias szylkretowy — Translations