Compound Japanese Bird Names
Examples of the straightforward use of characters to write a Japanese compound word
Japanese word | Meaning | Characters used | Comment |
umi-tsubame | 'sea swallow' = 'petrel' | 海燕 |
Probably coined by the Japanese |
umi-suzume | 'sea sparrow' = 'murrelet, etc' | 海雀 |
|
ama-tsubame | 'rain swallow' = 'swift' |
雨燕 |
Probably coined by the Japanese |
mizu-nagi-dori | 'water-shearing-bird' = 'shearwater' |
水薙鳥 |
Looks like a loan-translation from English |
umi-neko | 'sea-cat' = 'Japanese gull' |
海猫 |
|
aji-sashi | 'mackerel-stabber' = 'tern' |
鯵刺 |
'Mackerel stabber' is the etymology implied by the characters, but the true etymology may be different |
kake-su | 'hang-nest' ='jay' |
懸巣 |
|
kashi-dori | 'oak bird' = 'jay' |
樫鳥 |
The character 樫 is a Japanese creation |
橿鳥 |
|||
koma-dori | 'pony bird' = 'Japanese robin' |
駒鳥 |
Said to be because the cry of the bird sounds like the neighing of a horse |
no-goma | 'field pony' = 'Siberian rubythroat' |
野駒 |
|
aka-hige | 'red-beard' = 'Ryukyu robin' |
赤髭 |
|
aka-hara | 'red-belly' = 'red-billed thrush' |
赤腹 |
|
shiro-hara | 'white-belly' = 'pale thrush' |
白腹 |
|
shiro-gashira | 'white head' = 'Chinese bulbul' |
白頭 |
|
yama-dori | 'mountain bird' = 'copper pheasant' |
山鳥 |
|
take-dori | 'bamboo bird' = 'rufous laughing thrush' |
竹鳥 |
Probably from Japanese colonial period on Taiwan |
yabu-dori | 'scrub bird' = 'Steere's liocichla' |
薮鳥 |
Probably from Japanese colonial period on Taiwan |
no-gan | 'field goose' = 'bustard' | 野雁 |
鴇 is also used |