A general term for small animals such as insects (e.g. mosquitoes, moths, crickets).
夏になるとベランダに虫がよく来る。
In summer, insects often come onto the balcony.
蛍は夜に光る美しい虫だ。
Fireflies are beautiful insects that glow at night.
庭の花が虫に食べられてしまった。
The flowers in the garden were eaten by bugs.
Worms such as earthworms or roundworms; elongated, soft-bodied invertebrates (including parasitic worms in some contexts).
釣りの餌にミミズという虫を使う。
Worms called 'mimizu' are used as bait for fishing.
下痢がひどくて、医者は寄生虫が原因かもしれないと言った。
The diarrhea was bad and the doctor said it might be caused by parasites (worms).
Originally from a traditional belief in an internal 'insect' thought to influence mind and feelings; used figuratively for unconscious impulses or sudden inner urges.
彼は理由もなく旅に出た。虫が騒いだのだろう。
He left on a trip for no apparent reason. Perhaps an inner urge stirred him.
昔は病気の原因を『虫が入った』と言っていたことがある。
In the past, people sometimes said an illness was caused by an 'entered insect.'
Restlessness or fretfulness; a feeling of being unsettled or predisposed to act on an impulse.
大勢の前で話す前はいつも虫が騒いで落ち着かない。
I always feel restless before speaking in front of a large audience.
待ち時間が長くて虫が収まらない。
The wait is long and I can't sit still (I feel restless).
A person who is deeply devoted to one thing; used with a following noun to indicate an enthusiast (e.g. 'bookworm').
彼は本の虫で、休みの日は一日中読書している。
He's a bookworm; he spends his days off reading all day.
映画の虫という言い方もある。
There is also the expression 'movie buff' (literally 'movie insect').
A valve core (the removable part of a valve used to inflate tires) — colloquially called 'mushi' in some contexts.
自転車の空気が抜けていた。虫が壊れているらしい。
The bicycle tire had lost air. It seems the valve core is broken.
タイヤの虫を交換してもらったら空気がちゃんと入った。
After replacing the tire's valve core, the air held properly.
In hanafuda (Japanese playing cards), 'mushi' is a particular combination/type used in the game; usually written in kana.
花札でむしを取って高い役を目指す。
In hanafuda, you try to capture 'mushi' cards to aim for a high-scoring hand.
ルールによってはむしが強い役になることもある。
Depending on the rules, 'mushi' can be a strong hand.