sika

American  

[see-kuh] / ˈsi kə /

noun

1. a small, reddish deer, Cervus nippon, native to eastern Asia: most populations are endangered.

---

sika British  

/ ˈsiːkə /

noun

1. a Japanese forest-dwelling deer, Cervus nippon, having a brown coat, spotted with white in summer, and a large white patch on the rump

---

Etymology

Origin of sika

1890–95; < Japanese, equivalent to si- (perhaps akin to sisi boar, game) + ka deer

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sika

There are currently six deer species in Britain – red, sika, fallow, roe, muntjac and Chinese water - but only red and roe are "truly indigenous", according to the British Deer Society.

From BBC ● Feb. 19, 2026

The case of Nara in Japan, where the sacred sika deer have been protected for over a thousand years, illustrates the complexities of wildlife management under cultural protection.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 20, 2024

The other is in Taiwan, which received two pandas in 2008 in exchange of a pair of endangered sika deer.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 17, 2022

Licensed hunters are now being encouraged to kill sika deer — which typically weigh 70 to 90 pounds and have a white-spotted dark brown or black coat — if they come across one.

From Fox News ● Jan. 10, 2019

Before leaving Peking I had visited the zoölogical garden to make sure that the captive sika had assumed their summer dress and antlers.

From Across Mongolian Plains A Naturalist's Account of China's 'Great Northwest' by Andrews, Roy Chapman