Translation guide
The bird cuckoo, its call, and related cultural expressions.
Referring to the bird species Cuculus canorus, known for its distinctive call and brood parasitism.
The standard Japanese word for the common cuckoo. Often written in katakana.
春になるとカッコウが鳴き始める。
In spring, the cuckoos start singing.
Kanji form of カッコウ, used in literary or formal contexts.
郭公の声が山に響く。
The cuckoo's call echoes through the mountains.
A poetic or archaic term for cuckoo, literally 'quiet old bird'. Rarely used in modern speech.
閑古鳥が鳴くような寂しい村。
A lonely village where cuckoos seem to cry.
Describing the sound a cuckoo makes.
The standard onomatopoeic phrase for the cuckoo's call.
カッコウがカッコウと鳴いている。
The cuckoo is singing 'cuckoo'.
Referring to a person who infiltrates or takes over a group, like a cuckoo laying eggs in another bird's nest.
There is no direct equivalent idiom. Explain the concept using phrases like 他人の巣に卵を産む (lay eggs in another's nest) or 乗っ取り (takeover).
彼はまるでカッコウのように他人の巣に卵を産むような奴だ。
He's like a cuckoo, laying his eggs in other people's nests.
Referring to the clock with a mechanical cuckoo bird.
Literally 'pigeon clock', the standard Japanese term for a cuckoo clock.
鳩時計が二時を告げた。
The cuckoo clock struck two.
Using 'cuckoo' as informal English slang for someone crazy or eccentric.
The English slang 'cuckoo' does not translate directly. Use words like 頭がおかしい (crazy) or 変わり者 (eccentric).
彼はちょっと頭がおかしい。
He's a bit cuckoo.
The English slang meaning 'crazy' does not carry over to カッコウ. Using カッコウ to mean crazy will cause confusion. Use standard Japanese words for crazy or eccentric instead.