鵜
cormorant
Readings
On'yomi
- テイ
- ダイ
Kun'yomi
- う
Meaning
鵜 refers specifically to the cormorant, a water bird known for diving and catching fish.
Most common words using 鵜
- 鵜呑みうのみ
swallowing without chewing
- 鵜う
cormorant (Phalacrocoracidae spp.)
- 鵜飼いうかい
cormorant fishing
- 川鵜かわう
great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)
- ガラパゴス小羽鵜ガラパゴスこばねう
flightless cormorant; Galapagos cormorant
- ヨーロッパ姫鵜ヨーロッパひめう
European shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis); common shag; shag
- 千島鵜烏ちしまうがらす
red-faced cormorant (Phalacrocorax urile); red-faced shag; violet shag
- 姫鵜ひめう
pelagic cormorant (Phalacrocorax pelagicus)
- 小羽鵜こばねう
short-winged cormorant
- 海鵜うみう
Japanese cormorant (Phalacrocorax capillatus); Temminck's cormorant
- 鵜の目鷹の目うのめたかのめ
eyes of a predator; sharp eyes; keen eyes; vigilant attention; eyes of a cormorant, eyes of a hawk
- 鵜匠うしょう
cormorant fisherman
- 鵜呑みにするうのみにする
to swallow (e.g. a story); to accept without questioning
- 鵜松明樺うだいかんば
monarch birch (Betula maximowicziana); Japanese birch
Study
Etymology
鵜 combines 弟 (which likely contributes the sound) with 鳥 (bird), forming a phono-semantic compound for the cormorant.
Meaning mnemonic
The left side 弟 (younger brother) and right side 鳥 (bird) together suggest a bird that is like a younger brother among water birds—diving and working alongside fishermen. Picture a cormorant as the fisherman's helper bird.
Reading mnemonic
For テイ, imagine a cormorant taking a fish from the water: take -> テイ, as the bird takes its catch.