Japanese dictionary
How to say "bird" in Japanese
鳥とり · tori
"Bird" in Japanese is 鳥 (tori). The same word also means chicken as food, as in 焼き鳥 (yakitori).
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Ways to say "bird" in Japanese
| Japanese | When to use it |
|---|---|
| 鳥とり · tori | Bird. |
| 小鳥ことり · kotori | Small bird. |
| 野鳥やちょう · yachō | Wild bird. |
How to use it
For chicken meat, 鶏肉 (toriniku) is the clearest word.
Count birds with 羽 (wa): 一羽 (ichiwa), 二羽 (niwa).
Example sentences
- 窓の外に鳥がいます。Mado no soto ni tori ga imasu.There's a bird outside the window.
- 朝、鳥の声で目が覚めました。Asa, tori no koe de me ga samemashita.I woke up to birdsong this morning.
- 公園で野鳥を見ました。Kōen de yachō o mimashita.I saw wild birds in the park.
- 小鳥を二羽飼っています。Kotori o niwa katte imasu.I keep two small birds.
- 仕事の後、焼き鳥を食べに行きました。Shigoto no ato, yakitori o tabe ni ikimashita.We went for yakitori after work.
- この鳥の名前は何ですか。Kono tori no namae wa nan desu ka.What is this bird called?
Kanji in this word
Questions
How do you count birds in Japanese?
Use 羽 (wa): 一羽 (ichiwa), 二羽 (niwa), 三羽 (sanba). Rabbits are traditionally counted with 羽 too.
Does 鳥 mean chicken?
As food, 鳥 or 鶏 (tori) often means chicken, as in 焼き鳥 (grilled chicken skewers).
Using Japanese at work?
See Executive JapaneseExecutive Japanese by CCN is one-on-one online Japanese for managers and directors doing business in Japan.