鶏

See also: 鷄 and 雞

鶏	U+9D8F, 鶏 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-9D8F

← 鶎
[U+9D8E]

CJK Unified Ideographs

鶐 →
[U+9D90]

Translingual[edit]

Traditional	雞
Simplified	鸡
Japanese	鶏
Korean	鷄

Han character[edit]

鶏 (Kangxi radical 196, 鳥+8, 19 strokes, cangjie input 月人竹日火 (BOHAF), composition ⿰⿱爫夫鳥)

References[edit]

Kangxi Dictionary: not present, would follow page 1494, character 10
Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 47074
Dae Jaweon: page 2024, character 8
Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): not present, would follow volume 7, page 4641, character 14
Unihan data for U+9D8F

Japanese[edit]

Shinjitai	鶏
Kyūjitai	鷄

Kanji[edit]

鶏

(common “Jōyō” kanji, shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai form 鷄)

chicken
bird

Readings[edit]

Go-on: け (ke)
Kan-on: けい (kei, Jōyō)
Kun: にわとり (niwatori, 鶏, Jōyō)^{←にはとり (nifatori, 鶏, historical)}; とり (tori, 鶏); かけ (kake, 鶏); くたかけ (kutakake)

Compounds[edit]

Compounds

鶏(けい)冠(かん) (keikan, “cockscomb”)
鶏(けい)肉(にく) (keiniku, “chicken meat”)
烏(う)骨(こっ)鶏(けい) (ukokkei): silky, silkie (breed of chicken)
軍(ぐん)鶏(けい) (gunkei)
水(すい)鶏(けい) (suikei, “rail; water rail”)
養(よう)鶏(けい) (yōkei, “poultry farming, chicken raising”)
黄鶏(かしわ) (kashiwa): a Japanese native species of chicken with dark reddish-brown feathers; the meat thereof; chicken (meat)
水鶏(くいな), 秧鶏(くいな) (kuina, “rail, water rail”)
軍鶏(シャモ) (shamo, “gamecock”)
矮鶏(チャボ) (chabo, “bantam”)

Etymology 1[edit]

Japanese Wikipedia has an article on:

ニワトリ

Wikipedia ^ja

English Wikipedia has an article on:

Chicken

Wikipedia

Kanji in this term
鶏
にわとり Grade: S
kun’yomi

Alternative spellings
鷄 (kyūjitai) 雞

⟨nipa tu to₂ri⟩ → */nipatːəri/ → /nifatori/ → /niwatori/

Originally derived from the 枕詞 (makura kotoba, “pillow word”, an epithet as a poetic device) compound phrase 庭つ鳥 (niwa tsu tori), 庭 (niwa, “garden”) +‎ つ (tsu, Old Japanese possessive particle) +‎ 鳥 (tori, “bird”), used in Old Japanese poetry as an allusive introduction to kake, the older word for “chicken” (see below). The medial tsu disappeared over time, yielding modern Japanese niwatori.^[1]

Pronunciation[edit]

(Tokyo) にわとり [nìwátórí] (Heiban – [0])^[2]
IPA^(key): [ɲ̟iɰᵝa̠to̞ɾʲi]

Noun[edit]

鶏(にわとり) or 鶏(ニワトリ) • (niwatori) ^{←にはとり (nifatori)^?}

a domesticated chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus)
Synonyms: 臼辺鳥 (usubedori), 鳥 (tori)

Hypernym: 雉 (kiji)

Usage notes[edit]

As with many terms that name organisms, this term is often spelled in katakana, especially in biological contexts (where katakana is customary), as ニワトリ.

Proverbs[edit]

鶏(にわとり)を割(さ)くに焉(いずく)んぞ牛(ぎゅう)刀(とう)を用(もち)いん (niwatori o saku ni izukun zo gyūtō o mochiin, “why chop a chicken with a meat cleaver? → don't exaggerate”)

Etymology 2[edit]

Kanji in this term
鶏
かけ Grade: S
kun’yomi

Alternative spellings
鷄 (kyūjitai) 雞

⟨kake₁⟩ → */kakʲe/ → /kake/ From Old Japanese, first attested in the Kojiki (712 CE).

Onomatopoeic of the sound made by a chicken.^[1]^[2] Compare English cluck.

Pronunciation[edit]

IPA^(key): [ka̠ke̞]

Noun[edit]

鶏(かけ) • (kake)

a chicken (domesticated fowl)
Synonym: 臼辺鳥 (usubedori)
- 711–712, Kojiki, (poem 2):
  
  [...]　爾波都登理(にはつとり)　迦祁(かけ)波那久(はなく)　[...] [Man'yōgana]
  [...]　庭(には)つ鳥(とり)　鶏(かけ)は鳴(な)く　[...] [Modern spelling]
  ...niwa tsu tori, kake wa naku...
  the garden bird, the chicken clucks

Etymology 3[edit]

Kanji in this term
鶏
くたかけ Grade: S
kun’yomi

Alternative spelling
鷄 (kyūjitai)

First attested in The Tales of Ise.

Etymological details

This word has also been spelled as くだかけ (kudakake). This word must have been a compound of くた (kuta/kuda) +‎ 鶏 (kake, “chicken; rooster”).

However, the initial kuta-/kuda- portion has been subject to debate. Several sources have attempted to give an etymology:^[3]

The Hikobae of 1847 and the Daigenkai derive kuta- as a word meaning 'stinky'.
The Kita-no-bezuihitsu, Meigentsū, and the Minakata-Kumakusu derive this from 百済鶏 (kudara-kake, literally “Baekje chicken”), saying that the chicken was imported from there.
The Wakun-no-Shiori derives kuta as an eastern word for "house". The same source also supposes a Sanskrit origin, transcribed as kukutaeshira, and also supposes it was derived from 管掛 (kuda-kake) from the way it has a good voice.
The Honchō Jigen derives this from kudo-kake, where kudo- means 'a passing sound' and -kake means 'to put on'.
The Myōgoki derives kuda- from 数連 (kazutsura), while -kake is an onomatopoeic sound.

The third etymology is the most likely, as this note appears in several manuscripts of The Tales of Ise, and Vovin (2021) identifies kuda- with Ainu コタン (kotan, “village”) (c.f. English village and villa). He also identifies the poem in The Tales of Ise as being a hybrid Japanese-Ainu poem.^[4]

Pronunciation[edit]

IPA^(key): [kɯ̟ᵝta̠ka̠ke̞]

Noun[edit]

鶏(くたかけ) • (kutakake)

(archaic) a chicken (domesticated fowl)
Synonym: 臼辺鳥 (usubedori)

Usage notes[edit]

Occasionally seen with the reading くだかけ (kudakake).^[3]^[2]

Etymology 4[edit]

Kanji in this term
鶏
とり Grade: S
kun’yomi

Alternative spellings
鷄 (kyūjitai) 雞

From 鳥 (tori, “bird”).

Pronunciation[edit]

(Tokyo) とり [tòrí] (Heiban – [0])^[2]
IPA^(key): [to̞ɾʲi]

Noun[edit]

鶏(とり) • (tori)

Alternative spelling of 鳥 (tori): a chicken (domesticated fowl); chicken meat

Derived terms[edit]

鶏(とり)の空(そら)音(ね) (tori no sorane, “cock's false cry”)
鶏(と)冠(さか) (tosaka, “cockscomb”)

References[edit]

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 ^2.3 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 “くた‐かけ【鶏】”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, “Nihon Kokugo Daijiten”) ‎^[1] (in Japanese), 2nd edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000, released online 2007, →ISBN, concise edition entry available here (Note: Dialectal meanings, etymological theories, pronunciation including modern, dialectal, and historical information, Jōdai Tokushu Kanazukai, historical dictionaries containing this word, and the kanji spellings in those dictionaries have been omitted.)
^ Vovin, Alexander (2021) “Ainu elements in early Japonic”, in Handbook of the Ainu Language, →DOI

[KDJ-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN

[DJR-2] 2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 ^2.3 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[KDJ2O-3] 3.0 ^3.1 “くた‐かけ【鶏】”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, “Nihon Kokugo Daijiten”) ‎^[1] (in Japanese), 2nd edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000, released online 2007, →ISBN, concise edition entry available here (Note: Dialectal meanings, etymological theories, pronunciation including modern, dialectal, and historical information, Jōdai Tokushu Kanazukai, historical dictionaries containing this word, and the kanji spellings in those dictionaries have been omitted.)

[AinuJ-4] Vovin, Alexander (2021) “Ainu elements in early Japonic”, in Handbook of the Ainu Language, →DOI

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

鶏

Contents

Translingual[edit]

Han character[edit]

References[edit]

Japanese[edit]

Kanji[edit]

Readings[edit]

Compounds[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

Usage notes[edit]

Proverbs[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

Etymology 3[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

Usage notes[edit]

Etymology 4[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

References[edit]

Navigation menu

鶏

Translingual[edit]

Han character[edit]

References[edit]

Japanese[edit]

Kanji[edit]

Readings[edit]

Compounds[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

Usage notes[edit]

Proverbs[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

Etymology 3[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

Usage notes[edit]

Etymology 4[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

References[edit]

Navigation menu

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