鳥

Translingual

Stroke order

Han character

See images of
Radical 196 鳥

鳥 (Kangxi radical 196, 鳥+0, 11 strokes, cangjie input 竹日卜火 (HAYF), four-corner 2732₇, composition ⿴烏一)

1. Kangxi radical #196, ⿃.

Derived characters

• Appendix:Chinese radical/鳥
• 𠌵, 𡡅, 𡰎, 嶋, 𢄦, 㨶, 𤡕, 隝, 𭧘, 樢(㭤), 殦, 瞗, 𭿼, 𧜣, 𦄋, 𦉓, 翵, 鵤, 𧽪, 𨄙, 鿂, 𩘲, 𬳥, 𭿱, 鷠, 𪋞
• 𠞸, 鄥, 𣦘, 𫼃, 𪾖, 𦾉, 𩘵, 𡃸, 㠀, 䙚, 𦠂, 𠟀, 嶌, 蔦(茑), 窵(窎), 穒, 䉆, 𤹷, 𨶠, 𡈙

See also

• 𠒎 島(岛) 梟(枭) 裊(袅) 烏(乌) 焉 舃 舄

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 1480, character 52
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 46634
• Dae Jaweon: page 2012, character 25
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 7, page 4613, character 1
• Unihan data for U+9CE5

Chinese

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 鳥
Shang	Western Zhou	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Small seal script

Pictogram (象形) : a bird with a dangling tail.

Compare 烏, which is very similar, of similar origin, and 隹, which originated from a similar image of a bird, but is today rather more abstract and less recognizable. Compare to Egyptian 𓄿

Etymology

Originally pronounced with a /t-/ initial (compare 島 (OC *tuːwʔ, “island”)). In many dialects, it changed to a /n-/ initial to avoid homophony with the vulgar word 屌 (diǎo, “penis”), which may ultimately have developed from the sense “bird”. Birds/fowl are characteristically associated with Chinese slang for genitalia; compare 雀 (“sparrow > penis”) and 雞 (“chicken > penis”).

Alternatively, Schuessler (2007) hypothesised that the /n-/ initial form for “bird” may be unrelated to the /t-/ form. Instead, it may be connected with the Tai-Kadai word for bird; compare Proto-Tai *C̬.nokᴰ (“bird”), whence Thai นก (nók).

The /t-/ form may be derived from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *daw (“bird”), cognate with Proto-Karen *thoᴮ (“bird”) and Proto-Bodo-Garo *tao² (“bird”).

Pronunciation 1

Definitions

鳥

1. bird (Classifier: 隻／只 m; 群 m)

   養鳥／养鸟  ―  yǎngniǎo  ―  to breed birds

2. (slang, dialectal) to pay attention; to heed; to take notice of

   我才不鳥他。／我才不鸟他。  ―  Wǒ cái bù niǎo tā.  ―  I don't give a damn about him.

3. (vulgar, chiefly Taiwan) unpleasant thing

   什麼鳥?!／什么鸟?!  ―  shénme niǎo?!  ―  What the fuck?!

4. (vulgar, chiefly Taiwan) inferior or objectionable (a general term of disparagement)

   這事情太鳥了！／这事情太鸟了！  ―  Zhè shìqíng tài niǎo le!  ―  This thing really sucks!

Synonyms

Compounds

Descendants

• → Thai: เจี๊ยว (jíao)

Pronunciation 2

Definitions

鳥

1. (vulgar) Alternative form of 屌 (diǎo)
   1. penis
   2. (intensifier) damned; goddamn

      你這鳥人！／你这鸟人！  ―  Nǐ zhè diǎorén!  ―  You fucking prick!

Descendants

Others:

• → Thai: เจี๊ยว (jíao)

Japanese

Kanji

(grade 2 “Kyōiku” kanji)

Readings

• Go-on: ちょう (chō, Jōyō)^{←てう (teu, historical)}
• Kan-on: ちょう (chō, Jōyō)^{←てう (teu, historical)}
• Kun: とり (tori, 鳥, Jōyō); と (to)
• Nanori: か (ka)

Compounds

Etymology 1

Japanese Wikipedia has an article on:

鳥

Wikipedia ^ja

English Wikipedia has an article on:

Bird

Wikipedia

⟨to₂ri⟩ → /tori/

From Old Japanese, from Proto-Japonic *təri. Probably cognate with Middle Korean ᄃᆞᆰ (tolk), modern Korean 닭 (dak, “fowl; chicken”).

May also be related to the verb 飛ぶ (tobu, “to fly”).

Alternative forms

• (usually a chicken): 鶏
• 禽 (rare)

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) とり (Heiban – )
• IPA^(key):

Noun

鳥(とり) • (tori) 

1. a bird
   • 1999 July 5, “タクヒ [Takuhi]”, in BOOSTER 3, Konami:

     このトリが現(あらわ)れた時(とき)は、何(なに)か不(ふ)吉(きつ)な事(こと)が起(お)こる前(まえ)ぶれ。

     Kono tori ga arawareta toki wa, nani ka fukitsu na koto ga okoru maebure.

     This bird brings bad luck to wherever it comes.

   • 1999 August 26, “セイント・バード [Saint Bird]”, in BOOSTER 4, Konami:

     非(ひ)常(じょう)に尾(お)の長(なが)い鳥(とり)。全(ぜん)身(しん)から聖(せい)なる光(ひかり)を発(はっ)する。

     Hijō ni o no nagai tori. Zenshin kara seinaru hikari o hassuru.

     A bird with an unusually long tail. It illuminates with holy light.

2. a chicken
   • 1086, Goshūi Wakashū (book 16, poem 939; also Hyakunin Isshu, poem 62)

     夜(よ)をこめて鳥(とり)のそらねははかるともよに逢坂(あふさか)の関(せき)はゆるさじ

     yo o komete tori no sorane wa hakaru tomo yo ni Ōsaka-no-seki wa yurusaji

     Try if you wish to fool others with rooster calls in the depths of night―but still closed to your passage will be the gate at Meeting Hill.

3. fowl or chicken meat

Derived terms

Proper noun

鳥(とり) • (Tori) 

1. a surname
2. a unisex given name

Etymology 2

⟨to₂ri⟩ → ⟨*to₂⟩ → /to/

From Old Japanese. Appears to be a shift from tori above.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

• The pitch accent is determined by the entire word.

Prefix

鳥(と) • (to-) 

1. a bird
2. (more specifically) a chicken

Usage notes

• Appears in old compounds. Does not appear to be productive in modern Japanese.

Derived terms

References

Korean

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 鳥 (MC tewX).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key):
• Phonetic hangul:

Hanja

Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

鳥

Wikisource

鳥 (eumhun 새 조 (sae jo))

1. Hanja form^? of 조 (“bird”).

Compounds

References

• 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典.

Okinawan

Kanji

(grade 2 “Kyōiku” kanji)

1. bird
2. chicken

Readings

• Kun: とぅい (tui, 鳥)

Etymology

From Proto-Ryukyuan *tori, from Proto-Japonic *təri. Cognate with Japanese 鳥 (tori).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Noun

鳥(とぅい) (tui) 

1. bird
2. chicken

References

• “とぅい【鳥】” in JLect - Japonic Languages and Dialects Database Dictionary, 2019.

Vietnamese

Han character

鳥: Hán Nôm readings: điểu, đeo, đéo, đẽo

1. chữ Hán form of điểu (“bird”).

Compounds