Japanese kanji 鳥: 鳥 and 小鳥

The idea

鳥 has 11 strokes; follow the linked stroke-order diagram. Read 鳥 as とり and 小鳥 as ことり. N4 is an estimated learning level, not an official JLPT kanji list.

Examples

• この木きに鳥とりがいます。There is a bird in this tree.
• 小鳥ことりが庭にわにいます。There is a small bird in the garden.
• 鳥とりが空そらを飛とんでいます。A bird is flying in the sky.
• 鳥とりの声こえが聞きこえます。I can hear a bird singing.
• 白鳥はくちょうが池いけにいます。A swan is in the pond.
• 小鳥ことりをきのう見みました。I saw a small bird yesterday.

Watch out

Compare the shapes of 鳥 and 烏. Read whole words: 鳥 means bird, whereas 小鳥 means small bird. 鳥 has the short eye stroke that 烏, the character for crow, lacks.

Try it yourself

1. Write the reading of 鳥 in hiragana.

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   とり

   鳥 is read とり and means bird. In the example: There is a bird in this tree.

2. Write the reading of 小鳥 in hiragana.

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   ことり

   小鳥 is read ことり and means small bird. In the example: There is a small bird in the garden.

3. Fill in the missing kanji: 小＿（ことり）［鳥／烏］.

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   鳥

   鳥 completes 小鳥, read ことり; the word means small bird.

Use it today

Cover the table, write 鳥 from memory, then read 鳥 and 小鳥 aloud. Check their readings and meanings.