ヒワ
hiwa
The Japanese word for goldfinch is ヒワ (hiwa).
ヒワ is a noun used to refer to any of the several species of passerine birds known as goldfinches.
Meaning: any of several passerine birds (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
hiwa
Did you know?
- The word ヒワ is an onomatopoeic derivative, mimicking the high-pitched, whistling calls the bird makes in the wild.
- In Japanese culture, the ヒワ is sometimes grouped with other small songbirds in the tradition of 鳥籠 or birdcage keeping, a hobby that peaked in popularity during the Edo period.
- The word ヒワ is written in katakana rather than kanji because it is the standard convention for biological species in modern Japanese.
Examples in context
- ゴシキヒワはとても興味深い鳥だ。The goldfinch is a very interesting bird.This sentence is useful for describing the interest level of the bird ヒワ.Tatoeba #5751892 by verbum, translation #3941254 by Balamax
- 庭にヒワが飛んできた。Niwa ni hiwa ga tonde kita.A goldfinch flew into the garden.
- あのヒワはとても小さいね。Ano hiwa wa totemo chiisai ne.That goldfinch is very small, isn't it?
Example conversation
Kenta and Himari are birdwatching in a park.
- 健太 Kenta見て、あそこにヒワがいるよ！Mite, asoko ni hiwa ga iru yo!Look, there is a goldfinch over there!
- 陽葵 Himari本当だ。すごく小さいね。Hontou da. Sugoku chiisai ne.You're right. It's very small.
- 健太 Kentaヒワの鳴き声はとても可愛いね。Hiwa no nakigoe wa totemo kawaii ne.The goldfinch's call is very cute.
- 陽葵 Himariうん、いい声だね。Un, ii koe da ne.Yeah, it's a nice voice.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
