tortoise shell bracket

noun

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

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Meanings

nountortoise shell bracket (plural tortoise shell brackets)

plural tortoise shell brackets · alternative tortoiseshell bracket

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

Origin

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.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Japanese 亀甲括弧
  • 亀甲括弧 (kikkōkakko)Translations
Polish nawias szylkretowy
  • nawias szylkretowyTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

tortoise shell bracket. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tortoise%20shell%20bracket

MLA

“tortoise shell bracket.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tortoise%20shell%20bracket. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tortoise shell bracket,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tortoise%20shell%20bracket.

Source: tortoise shell bracket on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.