tortoise shell bracket

Questions

What does tortoise shell bracket mean?

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

Where does tortoise shell bracket come from?

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.

How to pronounce tortoise shell bracket

1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “tortoise shell bracket”.
2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “tortoise shell bracket”.
4. Repeat and practice — Say “tortoise shell bracket” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.