鳥
A general term for birds, which are feathered, winged, egg-laying, vertebrate animals. In a culinary context, it often refers specifically to chicken meat.
Examples
3 of 5公園でたくさんの鳥が鳴いています。
Many birds are singing in the park.
本日は、珍しい渡り鳥の観測データをご報告いたします。
Today, I will report the observation data of a rare migratory bird.
見て、あの青い鳥、すごくきれい!
Look, that blue bird is so beautiful!
Word Family
Memory Tip
The Kanji 鳥 looks like a standing bird: the top is the crest/head, the middle box with the dot is the body/eye, and the four dots at the bottom represent its tail feathers.
Quick Quiz
空に___が飛んでいます。
Correct!
The correct answer is: 鳥
Examples
公園でたくさんの鳥が鳴いています。
everydayMany birds are singing in the park.
本日は、珍しい渡り鳥の観測データをご報告いたします。
formalToday, I will report the observation data of a rare migratory bird.
見て、あの青い鳥、すごくきれい!
informalLook, that blue bird is so beautiful!
鳥類は恐竜の進化系統における唯一の生存者である。
academicBirds are the only survivors in the evolutionary lineage of dinosaurs.
新商品のパッケージには、自由を象徴する鳥のイラストを採用しました。
businessFor the new product packaging, we adopted an illustration of a bird symbolizing freedom.
Word Family
Common Collocations
Common Phrases
一石二鳥
killing two birds with one stone
鳥肌が立つ
to get goosebumps
飛ぶ鳥を落とす勢い
with a force so powerful it could bring down a flying bird
Often Confused With
Niwatori specifically means chicken, whereas tori is the general word for any bird.
The pronunciation is similar, but 'toru' is a verb meaning 'to take'.
Usage Notes
Tori is a very common A1 word. When ordering food in Japan, 'tori' or 'toriniku' usually refers to chicken.
Common Mistakes
Beginners sometimes forget to use the specific counter 'wa' (羽) when counting birds, using 'tsu' instead.
Memory Tip
The Kanji 鳥 looks like a standing bird: the top is the crest/head, the middle box with the dot is the body/eye, and the four dots at the bottom represent its tail feathers.
Word Origin
Derived from the Old Japanese word 'tori', potentially linked to the verb 'tobu' (to fly).
Grammar Patterns
Cultural Context
In Japan, certain birds like the crane (tsuru) represent longevity and are highly revered in traditional art.
Quick Quiz
空に___が飛んでいます。
Correct!
The correct answer is: 鳥
Related Phrases
Related Vocabulary
Related Words
少量
A1A noun used to describe a small quantity or amount of something. It is commonly used in technical, formal, or instructional contexts like recipes and science to specify a limited volume or mass.
一人
A1Refers to a single person or the state of being alone. It is used both for counting people and to describe performing an action by oneself without others.
三人
A1Refers to the count of three people. In Japanese, this is the standard way to quantify human beings once you move past the irregular forms for one and two people.
一度
A1Refers to a single occurrence or 'once'. It is frequently used to count how many times an action happens or to express the experience of doing something at least one time.
二度
A1Refers to something occurring twice or for a second time. It is frequently used as an adverbial phrase to describe repetition, or with a negative verb to mean 'never again.'
三度
A1Refers to something occurring three times or a measurement of three degrees (such as temperature or angle). In daily conversation, it is frequently used as a counter for frequency or occurrences.
何度
A1Nando is an interrogative noun used to ask 'how many times' (frequency) or 'how many degrees' (temperature or angles). It is formed by combining 'nan' (what) and the counter 'do' (degrees/times).
毎回
A1The word 毎回 means 'every time' or 'each time.' it refers to an action or event that occurs consistently across every individual instance of a repeating situation.
今回
A1Refers specifically to the current instance, event, or occasion. It is used to distinguish the present situation from past occurrences or future possibilities.
前回
A1Zenkai refers to the previous time or the last occasion an event occurred. It is a very common word used to compare current results or situations with the most recent occurrence in a series.
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