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Rallidae
クイナ科
kuina ka

秧鸡科
yāng-jī kē

秧雞科
yāng-jī kē<

뜸부기과
tteumbugi-gwa

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General

Information is from dictionaries and other sources. Species list may not be current. Korean glosses are tentative. Comments and corrections welcome. Hover over Green Lettering Green lettering at this site hides a tool tip with glosses, further explanations, etc. Hover cursor to reveal. to see additional information.

The rails are called クイナ kuina in Japanese. In Chinese characters, this is written either 秧鶏 'seedling fowl' or 水鶏 'water-fowl/chicken', based on Chinese names. Kuina by itself now refers to the Water Rail Rallus aquaticus, although in traditional poetry it referred to the Ruddy-breasted Crake Porzana fusca.

The Moorhen and the Coot are known as バン ban, written . Although this character is from Chinese, it is not clear what kind of bird it referred to. Its application to these two birds appears to be of Japanese origin.

The humble Okinawa Rail has achieved celebrity status in Japan as a symbol of endangered wildlife. There are no doubt plenty of people out there who don't have much idea what a kuina is but have heard of the Yanbaru Kuina.

Species names

› ABOUT THIS TABLE‹
RALLINAE
SCIENTIFIC & WESTERN
JAPANESE
CHINESE
KOREAN
Rallina
Latin
Eng, Fr, Ger, Ru
Japanese
Other J
Chinese
Chinese (Taiwan)
Other Ch
Korean
Rallina eurizonoides
link to photolink to photo
Slaty-legged crake
Banded crake

Râle de forêt
Hinduralle
Полосатый каштановый пастушок
オオクイナ
(大秧鶏 ~ 大水鶏)
ō kuina
'large rail'
  白喉斑秧鸡
(白喉斑秧雞)
bái-hóu bān yāng-jī
'white-throated striped seedling-fowl/chicken'
(灰脚秧鸡)
灰腳秧雞
huī-jiǎo yāng-jī
'grey-legged seedling-fowl/chicken'
Taiwan formerly:
(灰腿秧鸡)
灰腿秧雞
huī-tuǐ yāng-jī
'grey-legged seedling-fowl/chicken'
   
Coturnicops
Latin
Eng, Fr, Ger, Ru
Japanese
Other J
Chinese
Chinese (Taiwan)
Other Ch
Korean
Coturnicops exquisitus
Porzana exquisita
link to photo
Swinhoe's rail
Swinhoe's crake
Swinhoe's yellow rail

Râle de Swinhoe
Mandschurensumpfhuhn
Белокрылый погоныш
Porzana exquisita:
シマクイナ
(縞秧鶏 ~ 縞水鶏)
shima kuina
'striped rail'
  Porzana exquisita:
花田鸡
(花田雞)
huā tián-jī
'flowery paddy-fowl/chicken'
  小翅田鸡
(小翅田雞)
xiǎo-chì tián-jī
'small-winged paddy-fowl/chicken'
알락뜸부기
allak-tteumbugi
'spotted rail'
Rallus
Latin
Eng, Fr, Ger, Ru
Japanese
Other J
Chinese
Chinese (Taiwan)
Other Ch
Korean
Rallus indicus
link to photo
Eastern Water Rail
Brown-cheeked Rail

Râle d'eau
Wasserralle
Пастушок
Rallus aquaticus:
クイナ
(秧鶏 ~ 水鶏)
kuina
'rail'
フユクイナ
(冬秧鶏 ~ 冬水鶏)
fuyu kuina
'winter rail'
Rallus aquaticus:
普通秧鸡
(普通秧雞)
pǔtōng yāng-jī
'common seedling-fowl/chicken'
Rallus aquaticus indicus:
东北亚种
(東北亞種)
dōng-běi yàzhǒng
'Northeastern (Manchurian) subspecies' (1)
(秧鸡)
秧雞
yāng-jī
'seedling-fowl/chicken'
秋鸡
(秋雞)
qiū-jī
'autumn fowl/chicken'
水鸡
(水雞)
shuǐ-jī
'water-fowl/chicken'
흰눈썹뜸부기
huin-nunsseop-tteumbugi
'white-eyebrowed rail'
Hypotaenidia
Latin
Eng, Fr, Ger, Ru
Japanese
Other J
Chinese
Chinese (Taiwan)
Other Ch
Korean
Hypotaenidia okinawae
Gallirallus okinawae
Rallus okinawae
link to photolink to photo
Okinawa rail

Râle d'Okinawa
Okinawaralle
Окинавский пастушок
Rallus okinawae:
ヤンバルクイナ
(山原秧鶏 ~ 山原水鶏)
yanbaru kuina
'Yanbaru rail' (Yanbaru is an area in Okinawa. The characters mean 'mountain field')
  Gallirallus okinawae:
冲绳秧鸡
(沖繩秧雞)
chōngshéng yāng-jī
'Okinawan seedling-fowl/chicken'
     
Zapornia
Latin
Eng, Fr, Ger, Ru
Japanese
Other J
Chinese
Chinese (Taiwan)
Other Ch
Korean
Zapornia pusilla
Porzana pusilla
link to photo
Baillon's crake

Marouette de Baillon
Zwergsumpfhuhn
Погоныш-крошка
Porzana pusilla:
ヒメクイナ
(姫水鶏 ~ 姫秧鶏)
hime kuina
'princess rail'
  Porzana pusilla:
小田鸡
(小田雞)
xiǎo tián-jī
'small paddy-fowl/chicken'
Porzana pusilla:
(小秧鸡)
小秧雞
xiǎo yāng-jī
'small seedling-fowl/chicken'
  Porzana pusilla:
쇠뜸부기
soe-tteumbugi
'small rail'
Zapornia fusca
Porzana fusca
link to photolink to photo
Ruddy-breasted crake
Ruddy crake

Marouette brune
Zimtsumpfhuhn
Красноногий погоныш
Porzana fusca:
ヒクイナ
(緋秧鶏 ~ 緋水鶏)
hi-kuina
'scarlet rail'
クイナ
(秧鶏 ~ 水鶏)
kuina
'rail' (ancient literature)
Porzana fusca:
红胸田鸡
(紅胸田雞)
hóng-xiōng tián-jī
'red-breasted paddy-fowl/chicken'
Porzana fusca:
(绯秧鸡)
緋秧雞
fēi yāng-jī
'scarlet seedling-fowl/chicken'
  Porzana fusca:
쇠뜸부기사촌
soe-tteumbugi-sachon
'small rail cousin'
Amaurornis
Latin
Eng, Fr, Ger, Ru
Japanese
Other J
Chinese
Chinese (Taiwan)
Other Ch
Korean
Amaurornis phoenicurus
link to photo
White-breasted waterhen
White-breasted water hen

Râle à poitrine blanche
Weißbrust-Kielralle
Белогрудый погоныш
シロハラクイナ
(白腹秧鶏 ~ 白腹水鶏)
shiro-hara kuina
'white-bellied rail'
  白胸苦恶鸟
(白胸苦惡鳥)
bái-xiōng kǔ-è-niǎo
'white-breasted kǔ-è bird' (onomat.)
(白腹秧鸡)
白腹秧雞
bái-fù yāng-jī
'white-bellied seedling-fowl/chicken'
白胸秧鸡
(白胸秧雞)
bái-xiōng yāng-jī
'white-breasted seedling-fowl/chicken' (7, 31)
苦恶鸟
(苦惡鳥)
kǔ-è-niǎo
'kǔ-è bird' (onomat.)
白胸秧鸟
(白胸秧雞)
bái-xiōng yāng-niǎo
'white-breasted seedling-bird'
白脸秧鸡
(白臉秧雞)
bái-liǎn yāng-jī
'white-faced seedling-fowl/chicken'
白面鸡
(白面雞)
bái-miàn-jī
'white-faced fowl'
白胸黑水鸡
(白胸黑水雞)
bái-xiōng hēi shuǐ-jī
'white-breasted black water-fowl/chicken' (='white-breasted moorhen')
姑恶鸡
(姑惡雞)
gū-è-jī
'mother-in-law evil fowl' (gū-è onomat.)
흰배뜸부기
huin-bae-tteumbugi
'white-bellied rail'
Amaurornis cinerea
Porzana cinerea
Poliolimnas cinereus
link to photo
White-browed crake
White-browed rail

Marouette grise
Weißbrauen-Sumpfhuhn
Белобровый погоныш
Poliolimnas cinereus:
マミジロクイナ
(眉白秧鶏 ~ 眉白水鶏)
mami-jiro-kuina
'white-eyebrowed rail'
  Porzana cinerea:
白眉田鸡
(白眉田雞)
bái-méi tián-jī
'white-eyebrowed paddy-fowl/chicken' (2, 4)
白眉秧鸡
(白眉秧雞)
bái-méi yāng-jī
'white-eyebrowed seedling-fowl/chicken' (3)
灰田鸡
(灰田雞)
huī tián-jī
'grey paddy-fowl/chicken' (5)
Porzana cinerea:
(白眉秧鸡)
白眉秧雞
bái-méi yāng-jī
'white-eyebrowed seedling-fowl/chicken'
   
Gallicrex
Latin
Eng, Fr, Ger, Ru
Japanese
Other J
Chinese
Chinese (Taiwan)
Other Ch
Korean
Gallicrex cinerea
link to photo
Watercock
Water cock

Râle à crête
Wasserhahn
Камышница рогатая
ツルクイナ
(鶴秧鶏 ~ 鶴水鶏)
tsuru-kuina
'crane rail'
  董鸡
(董雞)
dǒng-jī
'dong fowl/chicken'
(董鸡)
董雞
dǒng-jī
'dong fowl/chicken'
  뜸부기
tteumbugi
'rail'
Gallinula
Latin
Eng, Fr, Ger, Ru
Japanese
Other J
Chinese
Chinese (Taiwan)
Other Ch
Korean
Gallinula chloropus
link to photo
Common moorhen
Moorhen
Common gallinule

Gallinule poule-d'eau
Teichhuhn
Камышница
バン
()
ban
'moorhen'
  黑水鸡
(黑水雞)
hēi shuǐ-jī
'black water-fowl/chicken'
or
红骨顶
(紅骨頂)
hóng gǔ-dǐng
'red bone top' (alt in 1, 3, 5)
(红冠水鸡)
紅冠水雞
hóng-guān shuǐ-jī
'red-crested water-fowl/chicken'

(小鷭)
xiǎo fán
'small fan'
쇠물닭
soe-mul-dalg
'small water-fowl/chicken'
Fulica
Latin
Eng, Fr, Ger, Ru
Japanese
Other J
Chinese
Chinese (Taiwan)
Other Ch
Korean
Fulica atra
link to photolink to photo
Common coot
Eurasian coot
Black coot
Coot

Foulque macroule
Bläßhuhn
Лысуха
オオバン
(大鷭)
ō ban
'large moorhen'
  白骨顶
(白骨頂)
bái gǔ-dǐng
'white bone top'
or
骨顶鸡
(骨頂雞)
gǔ-dǐng jī
'bone top fowl' (alt in 1, 3)
(白冠鸡)
白冠雞
bái-guān jī
'white-crested fowl'

(大鷭)
dà fán
'large fan'
水姑顶
(水姑頂)
shuǐ gū dǐng
'water mother-in-law top' (northern)
水姑丁
(水姑丁)
shuǐ gū dīng
'water mother-in-law ding' (northern)
冬鸡
(冬雞)
dōng jī
'winter fowl' (southern) (31)
물닭
mul-dalg
'water-fowl/chicken'

To write the word クイナ kuina, Japanese simply takes over one of the equivalent Chinese names, 秧雞 'seedling fowl/chicken' or 水雞 'water fowl/chicken'. This practice of reading Chinese compound-words (multi-character words) with single Japanese readings is known as 熟字訓 jukuji-kun.

This onomatopoeic bird name is based on the similarity of the birds' call to the Chinese word 苦恶 kǔ'è 'bitter evil'.

中国鸟类种和亚种分类名录大全(修订版) 郑作新 著 科学出版社 北京 2000年
A Complete Checklist of Species and Subspecies of the Chinese Birds (Revised Edition) by Cheng Tso-Hsin, Science Press, Beijing 2000

中国鸟类分类与分布名录 主编:郑光美 科学出版社 北京 2005年
A Checklist on the Classification and Distribution of the Birds of China Chief editor: Zheng Guangmei, Science Press, Beijing 2005

中国鸟类野外手册(中文版)约翰・马敬能、卡伦・菲利普斯,合作者:荷芬奇,翻译:卢和芬 湖南教育出版社 长沙 2000年
A Field Guide to the Birds of China (Chinese translation) by John MacKinnon, Karen Phillipps, in collaboration with He Fen-qi, translated by Lu Hefen, Hunan Jiaoyu Chubanshe (Hunan Educational Press) Changsha 2000

世界鸟类分类与分布名录 主编:郑光美 科学出版社 北京 2002年
A Checklist on the Classification and Distribution of the Birds of the World Chief editor: Zheng Guangmei, Science Press, Beijing 2002

世界鸟类名称(拉丁文、汉文、英文对照)第二版 郑作新等 科学出版社 北京 2002年
Birds of the World (Latin, Chinese and English Names) 2nd ed. by Cheng Tso-Hsin et al, Science Press, Beijing 2002

香港及華南鳥類(第六版)(翻譯成中文及重新修訂) 尹璉、費嘉倫、林超英 香港性徵特區政府新聞處政府印務局 1994年
Birds of Hong Kong and South China (6th edition, translated into Chinese and newly revised) by Clive Viney, Karen Phillipps, Lin Chaoying, Hong Kong Govt. Press 1994

汉蒙名词术语分类词典(自然科学部分) Mongolian (Cyrillic): Хятад Монгол нэр томъёоны зүйл хуваасан толь (байгалийн шинжлэх ухааны бүлэг) (Chinese-Mongolian classified terminological dictionary, natural sciences part) by 《汉蒙名词术语分类词典》编纂委员会 Mongolian (Cyrillic): "Хятад Монгол нэр томъёоны зүйл хуваасан толь" найруулах комисс (Chinese-Mongolian classified terminological dictionary editorial committee), Inner Mongolian People's Press, Hohhot 1990