鳥 – Kanji Meaning, Reading, and Common Words

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What does 鳥 mean in Japanese?

鳥 means bird. The kun’yomi とり (tori) is the everyday word for a bird, and it also shows up in one of Japan’s favorite foods: 焼き鳥 (yakitori, grilled chicken skewers).

The on’yomi チョウ appears in compounds like 白鳥 (hakuchou, swan) and 野鳥 (yachou, wild bird). The character comes from a drawing of a bird, and it is worth comparing with 島 (island), which looks similar and historically contains it.

Reading

On’yomi: チョウ (chou)

Kun’yomi: とり (tori)

Basic Information

Kanji 鳥
Meaning bird
Stroke Count 11
JLPT Level N4

How to Understand This Kanji

鳥 (tori) covers birds in general. 小鳥 (kotori) is a small bird such as a sparrow or a pet bird. In food contexts とり usually means chicken: 焼き鳥 (yakitori) is grilled chicken skewers, and 鳥肉 (toriniku) is chicken meat, also written 鶏肉 with the specific kanji for chicken. On’yomi words lean descriptive or literary: 白鳥 (hakuchou, swan, literally white bird) and 野鳥 (yachou, wild bird). The pattern matches 魚 and 牛: kun’yomi for the everyday word, on’yomi for compounds.

Common Words

  • 鳥（とり / tori） — bird; (in food contexts) chicken
  • 小鳥（ことり / kotori） — small bird
  • 焼き鳥（やきとり / yakitori） — grilled chicken skewers
  • 白鳥（はくちょう / hakuchou） — swan
  • 野鳥（やちょう / yachou） — wild bird
  • 鳥肉（とりにく / toriniku） — chicken meat

Example Sentences

  • 木の上で鳥が鳴いています。

    きのうえでとりがないています。 / Ki no ue de tori ga naite imasu.

    A bird is singing in the tree.

  • 湖に白鳥がいました。

    みずうみにはくちょうがいました。 / Mizuumi ni hakuchou ga imashita.

    There were swans on the lake.

  • 駅の近くの店で焼き鳥を買いました。

    えきのちかくのみせでやきとりをかいました。 / Eki no chikaku no mise de yakitori o kaimashita.

    I bought yakitori at a shop near the station.

Related Kanji

  • 肉

    — Meat — 鳥肉 (chicken meat) = 鳥 + 肉, another instance of the animal + 肉 pattern that organizes Japanese meat words

  • 魚

    — Fish — 鳥 and 魚 are both animal pictographs that name a creature and its meat; they anchor the same food-kanji family

  • 火

    — Fire — 焼き鳥 is chicken grilled over flame; 火 underlies the 焼く (to grill) family of cooking words

When Learners Usually See This Kanji

In everyday speech とり very often means chicken, especially in food contexts: 焼き鳥 (yakitori), とりのから揚げ (fried chicken). If someone asks 肉は何がいい？ and you answer とり, you are choosing chicken.

鳥肉 and 鶏肉 are both read とりにく and both mean chicken meat. 鶏 is the specific kanji for chicken; 鳥 is the general bird kanji. Menus and shops use both spellings, so recognize the pair.

Do not confuse 鳥 (bird) with 島 (island). They look alike because 島 historically combines 鳥 with 山: an island is where birds land on a mountain in the sea. That story is a handy way to keep the two apart.

Summary

鳥 means bird, read とり day to day and チョウ in compounds like 白鳥 (swan). In food contexts とり means chicken, as in 焼き鳥, and 鳥 is worth contrasting with the look-alike 島 (island).