燕
swallow (bird)
Readings
On'yomi
- エン
Kun'yomi
- つばめ
- つばくら
- つばくろ
Meaning
燕 centers on the swallow, a small migratory bird known for its forked tail and swift flight.
Most common words using 燕
20 of 47- 燕つばめN1
swallow (bird of the Hirundinidae family); martin
- 飛燕ひえん
swallow in flight
- 燕尾服えんびふく
tailcoat
- アフリカ腰白雨燕アフリカこしじろあまつばめ
white-rumped swift (Apus caffer)
- ヨーロッパ雨燕ヨーロッパあまつばめ
common swift (Apus apus); European swift
- 三日月燕魚みかづきつばめうお
golden spadefish (Platax boersii); Boer's batfish
- 台湾小洞燕たいわんしょうどうつばめ
brown-throated martin (Riparia paludicola); brown-throated sand martin
- 太平燕タイピーエン
Kumamoto-style vermicelli soup
- 姫海燕ひめうみつばめ
European storm petrel (Hydrobates pelagicus)
- 姫燕千鳥ひめつばめちどり
small pratincole (Glareola lactea); little pratincole; small Indian pratincole
- 姫雨燕ひめあまつばめ
house swift (Apus nipalensis)
- 小洞燕しょうどうつばめ
sand martin (Riparia riparia)
- 岩燕いわつばめ
Asian house martin (Delichon dasypus)
- 後燕こうえん
Later Yan (dynastic Chinese state)
- 海燕うみつばめ
storm petrel (any bird of family Hydrobatidae)
- 潜海燕もぐりうみつばめ
diving petrel (esp. the common diving petrel, Pelecanoides urinatrix)
- 燕万年青つばめおもと
bead lily (Clintonia udensis)
- 燕児えんじ
swallow chick
- 燕千鳥つばめちどり
Oriental pratincole (Glareola maldivarum); eastern collared pratincole; large Indian pratincole; swallow-plover
- 燕去り月つばめさりづき
eighth lunar month
Study
Etymology
燕 is a pictograph of a swallow, with the top 廿 representing the head and beak, the middle the body and wings, and the bottom 灬 the forked tail. The modern form retains this stylized bird shape.
Meaning mnemonic
The top 廿 looks like the swallow's head and beak, the middle section its body and spread wings, and the bottom 灬 its distinctive forked tail. Together they form a swallow in flight.
Reading mnemonic
For エン, picture a swallow swooping into an English garden: the 'en' of English cues エン, and the swallow darts among the flowers.