鳥
tori[to̞ɾʲi]
The Japanese word for bird is 鳥 (tori). If unsure, use 鳥. Wiktionary also lists 鳥類 (chōrui).
Meaning: animal (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 鳥 | tori | [to̞ɾʲi] (narrow) |
| 鳥類 | chōrui | [t͡ɕo̞ːɾɯ̟i] (narrow) |
The term refers to the animal in a general sense, whether speaking about a single bird or birds as a group.
Which one should you use?
鳥 (tori) is used to refer to individual birds or birds in general, whereas 鳥類 (chōrui) is a scientific term used specifically for the biological class 'Aves'.
How do you pronounce it?
tori
Did you know?
- Japanese has a specific word, 鳥肌 (torihada), which literally means 'bird skin' but is used to say someone has 'goosebumps'.
- In Japanese culture, the 'Yatagarasu' is a mythical three-legged 鳥 that serves as a guide and a symbol of divine intervention.
- The word 鳥 (tori) may be a distant linguistic relative of the Korean word for chicken, 닭 (dak).
Examples in context
- 鳥が描けない。I can't draw a bird.This sentence shows how to use 鳥 when talking about the ability to draw one.Tatoeba #2242276 by bunbuku, translation #1887125 by CK
- それは鳥です。It is a bird.This sentence demonstrates how to identify something as 鳥 using a simple 'is' statement.Tatoeba #3191806 by e4zh1nmcz, translation #3153415 by Alkrasnov
- あれは鳥なの？Is that a bird?This sentence is useful for asking a question about whether something is a 鳥.Tatoeba #8732923 by bunbuku, translation #4747435 by AlanF_US
- 鳥は美しい生き物です。Birds are beautiful creatures.
- 鳥ちゃんが餌を食べている！The birdie is eating its food!
- 103 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hiroto and Yui are looking at the park.
- 大翔 Hirotoあそこに鳥がいるよ。Asoko ni tori ga iru yo.There is a bird over there.
- 結衣 Yui本当だ。きれいな鳥だね。Hontou da. Kireina tori da ne.You're right. It's a beautiful bird.
- 大翔 Hiroto何の鳥だろうか。Nan no tori darou ka.I wonder what kind of bird it is.
- 結衣 Yuiきっとスズメだよ。Kitto suzume dayo.It's probably a sparrow.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bird” translations and entries 鳥, 鳥類, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 鳥, 鳥類, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
