Kalmar "Genus Pinctada" tana nufin rabe-raben kimiyya na rukunin kawa na lu'u-lu'u. Kalmar “genus” tana nufin matsayi na harajin da ake amfani da shi wajen rarraba halittu masu rai da kasusuwa, yayin da “Pinctada” sunan jinsin halittu ne da ya kunshi nau’o’in nau’in kawa na lu’u-lu’u na ruwan gishiri, wadanda suka shahara wajen samar da lu’ulu’u masu inganci. Kalmar "pinctada" ta samo asali ne daga kalmar Latin "pinctus," wanda ke nufin "fantin" ko "adon," yana nufin zane-zane masu banƙyama da aka samu a kan harsashi na waɗannan kawa.