sika

American  

[see-kuh] / ˈsi kə /

noun

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

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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

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Etymology

Origin of sika

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

Example Sentences

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

Other states where the sika deer can be found include Texas, Virginia and along the eastern shore of Maryland.

From Fox News • Jan. 10, 2019

In Japan there is an intermediate form in Cervus sika which has no bez-tine.

From Natural History of the Mammalia of India and Ceylon by Sterndale, Robert Armitage