General
The following is based on analysis of dictionaries and other sources. Comments and corrections welcome. Malaysian names are now being updated. For consistency, Vietnamese bird names (except for ducks and chickens) are preceded by the word Chim meaning 'bird'. Ornithological lists mostly omit this as understood. 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 Vietnamese word for 'sparrow' is Chim sẻ, which is probably an onomatopoeic name. Unmodified, it refers to Passer montanus, which is the common local sparrow. P. montanus also has a number of local variant names: Chim sẻ sẻ (Central dialects), Chim se sẻ (Central and Southern dialects), Chim ri (Southern dialects), and Chim thẻ (Northern dialects).
Apart from the sparrows, Chim sẻ is also used in the names of the bushchats and some buntings and finches
CULTURAL
Vietnamese has the expression Chim sẻ nhờ nương, sơn dương nhờ núi, meaning 'the sparrow has recourse to the fields, the antelope has recourse to the mountains', an expression of emotional attachment to one's native place.
Chữ Nôm
Characters used to write 'sparrow' in the now obsolete Chữ Nôm characters include:
| Name | Chữ Nôm Images from the Vietnamese Nôm Preservation Foundation dictionary. (Errors are the sole responsibility of the author of this site) |
| Sẻ |  ,  ,  |
All are actual characters in Chinese, although neither 𪀆 nor 䲧 is listed in even large dictionaries and neither appears to have a clearly identifiable meaning.
Species names
ABOUT THIS TABLESCIENTIFIC & WESTERN |
VIETNAMESE |
EAST ASIAN |
S. E. ASIAN |
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| Passer | ||||||||
Latin |
English/French |
Vietnamese |
Other V |
Chinese |
Japanese |
Thai |
Malaysian |
Indonesian |
| Passer cinnamomeus Passer rutilans  |
Russet sparrow Cinnamon sparrow Ruddy sparrow Moineau rutilant |
Chim Sẻ hung 'reddish sparrow (bird)' (12, 13, 34) |
山麻雀 (山麻雀) 'mountain sparrow' Taiwan: (山麻雀) 山麻雀 'mountain sparrow' |
ニュウナイスズメ (入内雀) nyūnai suzume 'enter court sparrow' |
นกกระจอกป่าท้องเหลือง nók krà-còaak pàa tʰóaaŋ-lĕuaŋ 'yellow-bellied forest-sparrow (bird)' |
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| Passer flaveolus |
Plain-backed sparrow Pegu house sparrow Moineau flavéole |
Chim Sẻ bụi vàng 'yellow bush sparrow (bird)' (cf the chats, genus Saxicola) (12) Chim Sẻ bụng vàng 'yellow- bellied sparrow (bird)' (34) |
黄腹麻雀 (黄腹麻雀) 'yellow-bellied sparrow' |
セアカスズメ (背赤雀) se-aka suzume 'red-backed sparrow' |
นกกระจอกตาล nók krà-còaak taan 'brown sparrow (bird)' |
Burung Ciak Sawah 'wetfield sparrow (bird)' (onomat.) (26, 27) Burung Ciak Arnab 'rabbit sparrow (bird)' (onomat.) (24) |
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| Passer montanus |
Eurasian tree sparrow Tree sparrow Moineau friquet |
Chim Sẻ 'sparrow (bird)' (12, 13, 34) |
Sẻ sẻ 'sparrow' (Central dialects) Se sẻ 'sparrow' (Central and Southern dialects) Chim ri 'sparrow' (Southern dialects) Chim thẻ 'sparrow' (Northern dialects) |
麻雀 (麻雀) 'sparrow' or 树麻雀 (樹麻雀) 'tree sparrow' (alt in 1, 3) Taiwan: (麻雀) 麻雀 'sparrow' |
スズメ (雀) suzume 'sparrow' |
นกกระจอกบ้าน nók krà-còaak bâan 'house sparrow (bird)' |
Burung Ciak Rumah 'house sparrrow bird' (onomat.) (26, 27) Burung Ciak Urasia 'Eurasian sparrow bird' (onomat.) (24) |
Burung-gereja Erasia 'Eurasian church-bird' |
ニュウナイ nyū-nai means 'entry into the Imperial court'. According to legend, the poet Fujiwara no Sanekata was exiled to the wilds of Tohoku after an incident at court and died before he could return to Kyoto. The appearance at this time of a sparrow at the Imperial court which consumed whole bowls of rice gave rise to rumours that the 'court-entering sparrow' was Sanekata’s aggrieved soul. Sanekata was also linked to the devastation of crops by sparrows. Passer cinnamomeus, which breeds in the northeast and descends on rice fields around the country in autumn, is thus known as ニュウナイスズメ nyū-nai suzume.
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
Danh Lục Chim Việt Nam (In lần thứ hai) (Checklist of the Birds of Vietnam) Võ Quý, Nguyễn Cử, Nhà Xuất Bản Nông Nghiệp, Hà Nội 1999
Chim Việt Nam Nguyễn Cử, Lê Trọng Trải, Karen Phillipps; Nhà Xuất Bản Lao Động - Xã Hội, 2000
Senarai Nama-nama Burung Semenanjung Malaysia dan Asia Tenggara by Ismail, Abdul Rahman, Perhilitan (Jabatam Perlindungan Hidupan Liar dan Taman Negara, Semenanjung Malaysia), Kuala Lumpur 1981
(List of the Names of Birds of Peninsular Malaysia and Southeast Asia by Ismail, Abdul Rahman, Department of Wildlife and National Parks, Peninsular Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 1981)
A Field Guide to the Birds of West Malaysia and Singapore by Jeyarajasingam, Allen and Alan Pearson, Oxford University Press, Oxford 1999
The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula: Vol. 2 - Passerines by Wells, David R., Christopher Helm, A&C Black, London 2007
Danh Lục Các Loài Chim ở Việt Nam (Latinh, Việt, Pháp, Hán) Trần Văn Chánh 2008-2009
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Tool tips by Walter Zorn |
