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

Three other Asiatic species - sika, Chinese water deer and muntjac - all arrived in the late 19th Century.

From BBC • Dec. 25, 2025

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

Gorals, sika, and roebuck are by no means the only big game animals in the Tung Ling.

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