羽化

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 羽化 is read as うか and is a noun and する verb for an insect emerging from a pupa as an adult.
• Basic usage: A butterfly emerging as an adult appears in 蝶が羽化する, while the time of an insect’s emergence appears in 昆虫が羽化する時刻.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• An insect development stage
  • It denotes the developmental change from pupa to adult, not merely the action of taking flight.
• Difference from 孵化
  • Unlike hatching from an egg, this term is the emergence of an adult from a pupa.