蝶
chōkanji, standard
In Japanese, "butterfly" is 蝶 (chō), often written in hiragana as ちょうちょう (chōchō). Children and parents say ちょうちょ (chōcho).
Meaning: butterfly (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 蝶 | chō | kanji, standard |
| ちょうちょう | chōchō | hiragana, common |
| ちょうちょ | chōcho | child friendly, casual |
The kanji 蝶 is the standard written form, while the doubled sound ちょうちょう is friendly and used in daily speech.
Which one should you use?
A moth is a different word, 蛾 (ga), so do not mix the two up.
How do you pronounce it?
Say ちょう as "choh" with a long vowel.
Did you know?
- ちょうちょう is also the title of a well-known Japanese children's song.
Examples in context
- 蝶が花にとまっています。Chō ga hana ni tomatte imasu.A butterfly is resting on a flower.
- きれいなちょうちょだね。Kirei na chōcho da ne.What a pretty butterfly.
- ちょうちょうを見つけた。Chōchō o mitsuketa.I found a butterfly.
Example conversation
A young child and her mother walk through a park in spring.
- Childママ、見て！ちょうちょだよ。Mama, mite! Chōcho da yo.Mom, look! A butterfly.
- Motherほんとうだ、きれいね。Hontō da, kirei ne.You're right, it's pretty.
- Childどこへ行くのかな。Doko e iku no kana.I wonder where it is going.
- Motherお花のところかもしれないね。Ohana no tokoro kamo shirenai ne.Maybe to the flowers.
