蝙蝠
kōmori[ko̞ːmo̞ɾʲi]
The Japanese word for the small flying mammal 'bat' is 蝙蝠 (kōmori). Wiktionary also lists 天鼠 (tenso) and 飛鼠 (hiso).
Meaning: small flying mammal (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 蝙蝠 | kōmori | [ko̞ːmo̞ɾʲi] (narrow) [ka̠β̞a̠ho̞ɾʲi] (narrow) |
| 天鼠 | tenso | [tẽ̞ɰ̃so̞] (narrow) |
| 飛鼠 | hiso | [çiso̞] (narrow) |
If you are referring to a baseball bat, the Japanese language uses the loanword バット (Batto). Additionally, in modern everyday writing, the animal is most commonly written using katakana as コウモリ or hiragana as こうもり rather than the kanji forms.
Which one should you use?
The term 蝙蝠 is an archaic kanji form. Other kanji forms include 天鼠 and 飛鼠.
How do you pronounce it?
kōmori
Did you know?
- One of the alternative kanji forms, 天鼠, literally translates to 'heavenly mouse', reflecting a mythological or celestial way of viewing the creature.
- The kanji for 'bat', 蝙蝠, was borrowed from Chinese characters, but its pronunciation shifted drastically from the original Middle Chinese through various stages like 'kapapori' and 'kawahori' before becoming the modern 'kōmori'.
Examples in context
- 蝙蝠は鳥ではなく哺乳類だ。A bat is not a bird, but a mammal.This sentence is useful for clarifying that 蝙蝠 is a mammal rather than a bird.Tatoeba #77075 by arnab, translation #326644 by CM
- ネズミが鳥でないように蝙蝠も鳥ではない。A bat is no more a bird than a rat is.This sentence uses 蝙蝠 in a comparison between a bat and a rat.Tatoeba #198606 by wat, translation #35799 by CM
- 蝙蝠が洞窟から飛び出した。kōmori ga dōkutsu kara tobidashita.A bat flew out of the cave.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ren and Misaki are looking at an old book of illustrations.
- 蓮 Renこの絵に描かれているのは蝙蝠かな？kono e ni egakarete iru no wa koumori kana?I wonder if this drawing is a bat?
- 美咲 Misakiそうね。とても古風な書き方だわ。sou ne. totemo kofuu na kakikata da wa.Yes. It is written in a very old-fashioned way.
- 蓮 Ren昔の人はこう呼んでいたんだろうね。mukashi no hito wa kou yonde ita ndarou ne.People in the past must have called them this.
- 美咲 Misaki今の言葉とは少し違うわね。ima no kotoba to wa sukoshi chigau wa ne.It is a bit different from the language we use now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bat” translations and entries 蝙蝠, 天鼠, 飛鼠, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 蝙蝠, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
